Invictus
by galaxian gal
Summary: When Korra is reaped for the Harmony Games she's determined to win, despite her mentor Azula's selfish strategies and her district partner Asami's alleged crush. But when the arena accidentally unveils a secret that ignites an empire, the warring trio must set aside their conflicting schemes and become allies in a much worse game to play. — AU. Korrasami, Tyzula.
1. Book 1: Kiss Me On My Mouth

A/N: **Some Quick Facts About This Fic:  
Chapters: **37  
 **Pairing(s):** Korra x Asami, Azula x Ty Lee.  
 **Rated:** _Hard_ T for intense nongraphic violence, sexual themes, mild language, substance abuse, implied torture and violent references.  
 **Notes:** This has been a pet project of mine since _Mockingjay Part I_ came out, and I wrote fragments and bare bones drafts of it over the course of a yearish. I wasn't going to share; I just worked on it while I had writer's block. But then I decided to take a risk and start turning it into a real story beyond scribbles in notebooks. I'm loving writing it and hope others enjoy it too.  
It's broken into three books: _The Harmony Games, When Lightning Strikes,_ and _Pyromaniac._  
The first six chapters are pretty long since I had the first book completely written when I posted the story and was eager to get it out there. The chapters become a more average length of 3k - 5k words once the second book starts in Chapter Seven.

* * *

 **INVICTUS**

* * *

 _"We stared into the face of death and death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't."  
-The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey-_

* * *

 **Book One  
The Harmony Games**

* * *

 _"Loving someone always requires you to not love others."  
\- Battle Royale, Koushun Takami-_

* * *

 **Prologue  
The 70th Harmony Games**

* * *

"The punishment for one hundred years of war was eternal atonement.

"Over seventy years ago the Century of Ash ended, along with its suffering, bloodshed and discord. This disruption of balance was led by the Avatar, an illusion of harmony who vanished before he could answer for his crimes of inciting chaos.

"From the ashes of the old world, the United Republic was born and restored order by eradicating the mistakes of our ancestors.

"Opposing elements were paired within the provinces in order to maintain unity. Division between elements was obliterated and replaced with singular loyalty to our Republic and President. And as a reminder of how the separation of four elements ends only in violence, each year the Harmony Games are comprised of two honorable tributes from each of the Nine Districts to fight to the death, so we may all witness why peace must be upheld. This is how we remember our past. This is how we safeguard our future."

As always, the ancient speech precedes the Reaping for the 70th Harmony Games. But Azula is not listening until she at last hears the archaic recording crackle to silence. Each word is always exactly the same, and it bores her to tears. She thinks it might be for the purpose of making thousands of people sweat in dread of the Reaping and not to reiterate the Mission Statement of the United Republic.

But she is not protesting for a second, for fear of jeopardizing her greatest desire. She is fourteen, and she knows what she wants. She wants to go up onto that stage and stand beside whatever pathetic water tribute is called, and taste liberation. Her district has not had career tributes in nearly two decades, but the moment her mother married some pathetic industrialist and had a replacement baby she has practiced like one.

Why not? Azula has no ties to District 2 or the Victor's Village she grew up in. She was never repulsed by the violence and her mother's weakness was sickening up until the moment it killed the woman.

She has always wanted what most people dread. And so, for the first time in decades, District 2 has a volunteer.

[X]

Weeks later, the finale of the 70th Harmony Games has at last arrived, and the drop of a pin could be heard in all of the United Republic.

The penultimate tribute has been slain and now two allies turn to face each other. One male, one female. Drenched in blood and sweat, slowly taking in rattling breaths, they realize that there can be only one victor. Both are attractive, vicious, charismatic, and crowd favorites; Azula is certain that the people at home in Caldera are trying to convince themselves that they will be happy either way or anxiously fixated on their bets.

Azula will win. Azula _knew_ she would win or die in glory. But this is not the situation she hoped for; she slumps against a metal tree and wipes the blood trickling from her mouth with the back of her hand. She can feel herself becoming colder and colder with each passing second. The outlook is grim.

Her silver tongue manipulated her way through the Harmony Games, her blue fire has become the Capitol's infatuation and her mother being the Victor of the 50th Harmony Games certainly helped her pique the interest of the masses. Azula checks those off in her mind for the thousandth time, reminding herself that _everyone_ wants her to win.

But right now, she is face to face with her panting ally who she met after she decapitated her own district partner. As soon as Azula revealed her skills, Shoji turned on her previous allies, and Azula is certain a traitor would have no qualms about finishing the job gutting her.

Her opponent is not unscathed, but Azula is mortally wounded.

 _Okay no_ , Azula will not allow any more thoughts about that, because she is _supposed to win_. She stares down Shoji and watches the him flounder slightly as he tries to figure out what to do. As if it is _complicated_. Few alliances last until the final hour, but no alliance lasts through the final few minutes.

Azula stares, waiting for Shoji to strike. Her eyes are hollow for the first time and will remain that way forever.

"Are you okay?" her ally stammers, looking at Azula's sallow skin and blood soaked clothes. "Let me help you."

Azula glances up at the weakling and sees that the foolish boy does not intend to do anything with the axe in his hands; he actually wants to _help_ Azula instead of taking an easy victory. _And_ Azula starts laughing, laughing hysterically as she coughs. This handsome and brawny career trained tribute just stands there, mute.

"Don't just start small talk in the final hour," Azula gasps through her uncontrollable fit of laughter. "This doesn't make for very good television. They want to see us eat each other alive, or maybe cry over the awful situation, not have sweet, tender moments. It's so anticlimactic. You've gotten this far... why stop?"

Her ally throws the dripping blade in his hand as hard as he can at the trees in utter rage and Azula slowly shakes her head in mocking disapproval.

"You're just giving up your weapon?" Azula asks and Shoji's answer is fixating his eyes on the gaping wound Azula has her palm pressed against. "Well then, you're going to wait until I bleed out. That'll certainly entertain the viewers. _And after the most boring ending in Harmony Games history, at last, here is your victor..._ I'm dying, yes, but I didn't get this far to go out because of a little slice... Why not put me out of my misery, if you're suddenly so merciful?"

"I'm done," he says hoarsely and Azula manages to cock an eyebrow.

"Oh, but the show must go on, don't you know?" Azula purrs breathily. She can't help but smirk despite the blood dripping from her lips and her hand holding her insides in by pressing on the gash in her skin. "Give the people what they want and be immortal. I'm allowing you. Go right ahead."

"You're _mocking_ me," he responds fiercely and Azula shrugs.

"I'm half dead. Do it. Do _it_ ," Azula says, ignoring the pain as she pushes herself off of the bloody grass. She stumbles towards her opponent with very little coordination left. The idiot does not move, but his hand twitches towards the blade tucked into his pants.

"I'm not going to do it," Shoji snarls fiercely.

"I admire your stubborn arrogance. It's actually quite impressive at this point," Azula purrs, looking the trembling boy up and down. "You led the careers, you almost drowned me, you slashed open your girlfriend's throat and killed everyone in the bloodbath singlehandedly. So why now? Why now? I know I'm gorgeous but it's not like that matters. Or have I suddenly developed legendary allure?"

He stares at her long and hard and she stares back.

And he blinks first.

He blinks first and the crack of lightning blends with the loud _bang_ of a cannon. The light is blinding, the sound deafening, and Azula feels disoriented as the corpse brushes against her toes. She doesn't understand why that poor boy _didn't_ understand.

Azula staggers slightly, wincing at the wound that suddenly is much more painful now that her life is no longer in danger. The adrenaline still courses through her veins, but the numbing panic has started to recede, leaving her kneeling.

And just as her breathing becomes labored, as if they are toying with her, taunting her by not awarding her victory, the trumpets blare. The familiar sound that Azula tried to keep in her head, hoping for as she hacked, slashed and manipulated her way through twenty-three other tributes.

"Ladies and gentlemen," says the rough voice of Zhao Shirei declares, "I present to you the winner of the 70th Annual Harmony Games. The tribute from District 2!"

Azula weakly rests her head on the grass and waits to be taken from the arena.

* * *

 **Chapter One  
Kiss Me on My Mouth**

 _I met Death today. We are playing chess.  
-The Seventh Seal-_

* * *

Four years after Azula's victory, District 2 is blanketed in the mist of a cool, damp morning. It is Reaping Day, and so all is silent.

Korra Raava woke up before dawn to do training exercises. She pummels a training dummy in the gym that smells perpetually of sweat, using the familiar combat practice to quell the dread building in her stomach. She is an accomplished fighter, the best pro-bender in District 2, and she always has a cocky smile on her face when she annihilates punching bags; Korra refuses to be seen as the kind of person who is afraid of being reaped.

The absolute roll she is on today fills her with a thrill of adrenaline and raw power.

Her heart pumps and pounds, flooding her with endorphins that allow her to forget about her nerves or anxiety. She doesn't want to lose anybody she loves. But if _she_ is reaped today, so be it. Korra has no fear and she _refuses_ to fear anything that life can throw at her. She is better than that.

The probending building used to be the training school for career tributes. The academy closed right after the second Quarter Quell, and interest had been waning even before then. She wonders if people here just gave up hope and decided to be content with the table scraps the Capitol so warmly offers its favorite district.

"I've never seen anybody up and here today," remarks the echoing voice of Iroh II, her favorite trainer, and Korra shoots him a fast grin before continuing her assault on the punching bag. "Did you decide to become a career tribute?"

" _Maybe_. Maybe I just want you to be my mentor," Korra says, cocking a seductive eyebrow. And Iroh only laughs at that, which he supposes is all he can do instead of thinking about how many of the kids he mentored have been slaughtered since he won fourteen years ago.

"It's not me this year," he says as soon as he pushes the nasty thoughts out of his head and she cocks an eyebrow.

"Last year was Piandao, the year before was Jeong Jeong and the year before was On Ji; it's you for fire," she says, wondering if she got the order wrong somehow.

"70th Harmony Games."

Korra punches the target too hard and winces, rubbing her knuckles.

"You're joking. She's as likely to get her feet wet in the Games as Asami Sato," Korra says, scoffing. "I'm pretty sure having the sheer luck of being the President's bastard child exempts her from needing to deal with _us_."

Iroh II shrugs and a hollow expression flickers across his face. Korra instantly feels her gut twisting with guilt over her comments, which must be callous to victors. But despite her regret, she has no idea how to apologize for the social gaffe. It has never been her strong suit.

Her best friend always looks proud and strong but... Korra has seen him vulnerable before. It was cleaning solution, as ridiculous as it seems. It was the same scent that was used in the Tribute Center and made the strongest guy Korra ever met fly into a panic attack.

The smell of recently cleaned floors could break that man more than a hard punch.

"She's a victor whether she's President Shinohai's daughter or not," Iroh II says calmly, snapping out of his memories, and Korra drops the topic.

"Well, I guess I'm out of luck," Korra says with another jab at the punching bag and Iroh II frowns at her.

"You're lucky if you don't get reaped," Iroh II says and Korra shrugs. She hears Ty Lee Yanxian's voice in her head declaring blithely, _'May the odds be ever in your favor!'_ and it makes Korra groan.

"Yeah. Let's just hope the odds are in everybody's favor," Korra says casually and her trainer wonders how she manages to be so relaxed about such dark things.

"Let's spar instead," Iroh II suggests and Korra grins at him.

 _At least someone manages to smile on Reaping Day._

Meanwhile, far across the district, Asami Sato wakes with her head resting on metal. Her jaw aches and she can only smell and taste the stainless steel table she was drooling on. As she comes to and studies the room around her with her bright emerald eyes, she realizes she fell asleep halfway through the work she was doing on a still nonfunctioning pet project of hers.

She then realizes that a sound woke her, and she quickly shoves the gauntlet into her drawer, beneath bras, socks and other things no one is going to rifle through. Trying to revive peacekeeper technology for her own purposes is generally frowned upon in a society with twice as many floggings as rainy days in spring.

"Oh, good, you're awake," says Akala as she opens the door. Asami nods at her and uneasily locks the drawer with a sweeping motion that her standing up conceals from her nanny.

"Sort of," Asami replies with a smile. She then wipes her face. "I might actually go back to sleep for a while..."

"Of course. Your father is going to receive President Shinohai at the train station and have him over for lunch," Akala says as she instantly starts cleaning up the many papers Asami has scattered around her room.

"Tell him I'll be sleeping." Asami flops onto her bed and only keeps her eyes open long enough to make sure Akala does not come across the locked drawer in curiosity.

She has _no_ desire to associate with President Shinohai or his creepy wife or his _creepier_ entourage of victors, rich jerks and bodyguards. Her mother having been one of them, before her untimely death when Asami was just a little kid. Maybe it's the memory of watching her mother burn on her pyre that makes her avoid him.

At least he isn't her father, and Asami loves Hiroshi despite how much he has forgotten that, while his inventions are lauded, he still is from here. The Capitol is fine but Asami has always struggled to pledge allegiance.

It was her mother's wealth and power that allowed him to start his franchise.

It was her mother who was such a pretty, pampered Victor that she just never left the house.

It was her mother who visited the Capitol constantly, funded Hiroshi's dreams, and then lost it all to her addiction.

Asami does not want to see what her mom once was.

[X]

Azula lays eyes on the district she was born in for the first time in four years.

It gives her chills; she never expected to return and never wanted to. To her, this place is just a painful set of reminders. While the Presidential Palace is far from pleasant, it is clean of memories, which makes it infinitely better than the Victor's Village.

"Does it disturb you?" father inquires as he carefully watches her face. She could almost swear that he sounds amused.

"No," Azula lies, but Ozai sees her trembling hands. She has learned to conceal so very much when constantly in the eyes of the Capitol, but she cannot hide from him.

Hiroshi Sato and Mayor Raiko immediately greet the President, his daughter, his wife and his copious bodyguards. The two men look as if they tried to dress to the nines, but it is pitiful compared to Caldera.

"It is our absolute honor, President Shinohai," Hiroshi Sato gushes before the mayor can say a word. "I've arranged a beautiful lunch for you and your family before the Reaping this afternoon."

"Of course," is Ozai's disinterested response, despite Hiroshi's clear desire for praise. "Why don't you take us somewhere more... private?"

His quite young wife watches with faint disdain at the way he looks at the train station, as if he has no idea what he imposes on others, but if anyone sees it, they are too afraid to comment.

Azula just averts her eyes.

"Yes, yes," Mayor Raiko says, speaking over Hiroshi Sato, whom could buy and sell District 2 if he wanted to. "Right this way."

The mayor's home is concealed by the shadows of buildings and sickly trees, and is pure black and white with several slanted roofs and too many windows. She feels like she just walked into a period piece mover, because of how bare and wooden everything is, the lamps of some coarse rice paper and _candles_ and she thinks she might have seen a few broken fixtures.

But he takes them to a dated but nice room that has expensive statues, blue and red stones in the grey floor and decent seating arrangements. The writing on the wall reads _'The empire long united must divide, long divided must unite; this is how it has always been.'_ in overlarge black characters.

While the president sits in the center of attention, the two victors accompanying him take seats beside each other with shadows cast over them.

"It's lovely to see you again," says Hiroshi and Azula realizes he is speaking to her.

"I'd imagine," she coldly replies and Hiroshi nearly chokes.

"I still remember when you were just a young girl. You were just so smart at school and talented in your firebending lessons, and a magnificent addition to the district. It has always pained me to give you up to the Capitol," Hiroshi says and Azula blinks once, fighting the urge to throttle him.

"Yes, well, the district was a bit of a dead end in my career," Azula coldly replies.

He looks twice as uncomfortable now, which pleases Azula very much.

"I have to say, your games were riveting, and your public life is twice so," he says and it is what Azula has grown used to hearing, but usually from frothing Capitol fans. Not a man who has no right to talk to her; not a man who is overstepping bounds beyond his imagining. "I have no doubt in my mind that you will restore the honor of our district with your mentorship. Perhaps this year we have a winner."

"That's a little optimistic," Mai remarks and Hiroshi grimaces before collecting himself.

He imagined she was simply quiet because she was a supportive background figure to her husband. But she is... eerie, like a ghost of a dead tribute.

Mai doesn't think it is that complex or psychological; she is comfortably numb. Comfortably not fully sober too, which helps.

"Yes, yes," Hiroshi states quickly before going to retrieve drinks. "It is so rare to have such magnificent guests. Usually I'm the guest and I certainly can't live up to that, but as your host, I will do all I can to return the favor."

"Your contributions to the Games are quite impressive. And I wouldn't just send my daughter here unattended," President Shinohai says and Hiroshi clears his throat.

He thinks he might be getting ulcers.

Hiroshi, as he often does when nervous, launches into a rambling speech about science.

Azula rubs her eyes as discreetly as she can, not wanting to draw her father's invasive questions about her sleeping patterns. It becomes increasingly more difficult to hold her tongue about the fact that her nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks are caused by the games that he inflicted upon her. Maybe she wanted them.

She _did_ volunteer after all...

But, on the other hand, she volunteered because he knocked up her mother, which made her resent the daughter who looked too much like him, acted too much like him. Which made her marry someone else and have another, better child.

He could have claimed her long ago, but he collected her instead.

President Ozai Shinohai acted so _joyous_ ; he said he was a man who had always longed to be a father, and extended that gilded hand of the Capitol that Victors wish they did not have to take. People in the Capitol like autographs, posters, ad campaigns, action figures and nights of thinly veiled prostitution. But the richest elite like to make them offers that they cannot refuse.

Instead of remaining in their District, they are married off and shown off as a status symbol. It is, Azula supposes, yet another way that the Capitol shows its alleged generosity. She did not question because she was young, foolish and drunk on the fame and luxury that came with her famous games.

She had the life of a victor. A true one. Politics, glamor, the father she yearned for. No impositions.

Then he asked her to be Head Gamemaker.

Mai... Mai won the 65th Harmony Games. Azula knows nothing about her life before it or what later led her into Ozai's arms, but she does know that her games are on the list of the most famous for its drama, intensity and brilliant grand finale.

Mai who got married, Mai who has a little five year old daughter with the man who inflicted an unspeakable torture on her, Mai who is sober less and less frequently as years go by.

Mai who tries to _stop_ being lucid, instead of _remain_ lucid like Azula.

She is living proof of the fact that no one _wins_ the Harmony Games.

[X]

After the boring lunch with Hiroshi, Azula and Ozai stand on the balcony outside of his manor. The rest of the District in sight is impoverished, but Sato Manor is in the nice neighborhood near the mayor and the peacekeepers. The hot wind crashes against Azula's slender body as she stares at grey buildings with red fixtures. The swamp-eaten side of the district us reserved for the Water Tribe citizens. She sees kids begging in the street right outside of a factory that makes fancy electronics for the Capitol, and decides that this place will never be home again.

"Are you at all concerned about mentoring?" Ozai inquires, his eyes flickering up and down. She supposes she cannot hide the tension in her muscles anymore.

"Of course I am. Dealing with the escort, getting sponsors, trying to make victors out of sweet little kids who have no clue what they're doing," Azula sweetly says as she studies her nails. A displeasing speck of dirt sticks beneath one of them. "But this hasn't been a career district in decades. It's mediocre at best."

"I'm wondering why Miss Sato hasn't showed up," Ozai murmurs as he studies his daughter.

"She must be occupied," Azula replies and Ozai suppresses a smirk at her cracking voice.

"Your half-sister," Ozai says softly and Azula tries to ignore the chills that the thought gives her. "Weren't you two close before your mother died? Despite all odds."

"The odds have always been in my favor," Azula states fiercely.

"Or perhaps the game is rigged from the start." Now he _does_ smirk.

Azula blanches. This is what they told her. That he wouldn't hesitate to kill all she loved if she wouldn't cooperate, if she wasn't the perfect daughter. But Azula loved no one... or so she thought.

"Yes. Having a tiger-bear tile up your sleeve is wise," Azula says quietly, forcing her anxiety to the back of her mind. "But that was half a decade ago, and I've changed. I doubt she thinks of me as a sister. I'm just the Victor of the 70th Hunger Games, and I am content to be that way."

He rests his hand on her back her back in a manner of _support_ or _care_ as if he had been a good father for years, instead of not acknowledging her existence until it was convenient for him. Azula loves the Capitol, loves her glory, loves that she has a father _figure_ that replaces a horrid excuse for a mother. But despite her happiness won by bloodshed, she feels a vehement resentment whenever President Shinohai makes hollow paternal gestures.

Yet, after her moment of discontent, she tolerates the way he guides her down the winding stone steps, and towards the central city hub of District 2. She catches a glimpse of the Victor's Village and realizes he intended her to walk as close to it as possible.

Azula tries to analyze it, but he casually declares his intentions as if commenting on the cloudy weather.

"Don't you see what your life would be like if I did not extend a generous hand?" he asks.

 _A hand that was distinctly missing for fourteen years_ , is what Azula would say if she were a lunatic with a death wish.

She said what she thought of his abandonment not long ago, before running away, and she regrets it, and he will _make her_ regret it. It was reckless and it was stupid and, while he provoked her, she knew better than to tell him what she thought about him as a father.

"I never said I was ungrateful," Azula lies.

"That is _exactly_ what you expressed. I have offered you more than any person in the world could ever even fathom, and I could have sent you back there like everyone else."

"I'm not everyone else," Azula says before averting her eyes in an attempt to undo her blunt comment.

He smiles at her and says, "No, no you aren't, my little Girl on Fire."

[X]

In the humongous monochrome city square, Korra stamps her blood in the book of a bored secretary and strides in to the Reaping the same way she always does. She is pushing seventeen now, and so this is thankfully her penultimate reaping. She shoves her way through the packed crowd of potential tributes and stands near the back with the older teens. A nearby twelve-year-old Fire Nation girl Korra cannot quite recall the name of cries hysterically and Korra struggles to look away.

She waits as the four victors are introduced on the stage. District 2 only has six of them, out of the forty-two that are still alive. There were once _many_ more, because District 2 was once an incredible powerhouse, like District 1 or District 4. But the tributes began to rapidly die out of drug addictions. A few suicides. Sudden disappearances. Old age, upon occasion.

Hama stands on the far left; she is the only Water tribute alive. She won the 13th Harmony Games, and is the only person that Korra knows who remembers a time before the games. Iroh II is on the far right; Korra smiles at, but he does not seem to see her. Then Piandao. He won the 41st Harmony Games. On Ji is still very young, and extremely quiet. She won the 68th Harmony Games at the age of twelve. Jeong Jeong. He won the 36th Hunger Games. And, at last, Azula.

Azula, who prompts gossipy whispers before the crowd manages to settle.

And then, the District 2 escort of the past four years gracefully dances onto the stage. Ty Lee Yanxian briefly blinds Korra when she makes the mistake of looking directly at her for too long. Ty Lee glitters, covered in pink sequins and gems, sticking out like a sore thumb among the victors garbed in muted hues. Even Azula Shinohai, the Capitol girl, is wearing dark, blood red with her only jewelry a rose in her raven hair.

Ty Lee taps the microphone, blushing when it makes a dreadful shrieking noise. No one pays her any mind; they are either focused on their fear or looking at the strange and uncomfortable addition to the dollhouse display of victors.

But the attention does drift to District 2's escort when she rubs her bright mauve lips together and declares in her girlish voice, "Welcome, welcome, welcome. Welcome to the beginning of the 74th Annual Harmony Games. This year's mentor will be a very special guest: Azula Shinohai, Victor of the 70th Harmony Games."

She glances at Azula and then quickly looks away. Korra laughs quietly at the expression the girl from all of the propaganda makes in response to her introduction. Once she silences herself, Korra tries to tune out the rest, particularly Ty Lee's pearly white grin and sparkling eyes despite the sick nature of this occasion.

The introduction drags on forever, as always. A video begins to play while everyone halfheartedly watches. It features the deep, calm voice of an unnamed man. The only scenes are war footage of past rebels being slaughtered; most of the dead are waterbenders.

Nobody listens to the speech.

But Asami watches the quick flashes of the last five games attentively, waiting for the glimpse of the new mentor's victory. The 73rd Harmony Games was the blind girl from District 6, Toph, the 72nd was the airbender boy, Aang, who won by accident ─ a volcano erupted, and it obliterated the gathering of tributes, while he was hiding so high up that he was the last alive ─, the 71st was Yue of District 4. And at last, there is lightning on the screen, the carnage, the glimpse of just her face with bloodied lips against her pale skin.

The Girl on Fire.

Korra's mind starts to wander as images of District 10 and its great metal cities are shown in wreckage and ruins. She studies her filthy nails and waits for the high trill of Ty Lee Yanxian.

And, at last, of course, it comes.

"As we know, two tributes will be drawn for the honor of participating in this year's games. In District Two, we have one tribute of the water element, and one of fire," Ty Lee explains with an overlarge and dramatic gesture of her perfectly manicured hands. "So, without further ado, let the 74th Harmony Games begin. Fire first..."

Bated breath throughout the square. Korra knows she will not be chosen, but her heart is still pounding. It could be her friend.

Ty Lee reaches into the bowl and withdraws a small sheet of paper. And her eyebrows shoot up in utter shock that she quickly masks with a plastic smile.

"Asami Sato." Ty Lee makes an involuntary expression of a confused panda-koala. Her fake eyelashes flutter as she glances around for the richest girl in District 2.

Amongst the stunned whispers, Asami brushes her father's hand aside and takes the surreal walk to the stage without hesitation. She is horrified, beyond horrified, but she cannot let people think she is afraid. She cannot let them think that she is just an awful heiress.

Ty Lee gently helps her onto the stage and greets her with a shiny and warm smile. But everything to Asami feels cold.

The attendees of the Reaping still have yet to settle about Hiroshi Sato's daughter being Reaped, and how... how _impossible_ that had seemed to them all. It seemed as if the only people who were safe were those the Capitol liked. And given the extreme reliance on Future Industries, it is an unnerving revelation.

 _No one is safe._

Ty Lee seems nervous as she scuttles across the stage on her pink pumps and reaches into the jar with the symbol for water painted onto it. The waiting for this drawing is always far more tense. The fire tributes have a far higher chance of surviving, and they always have. Of the victors from District 2, Hama has been the only one in the history of the Harmony Games to have lived, and it was by relatively disturbing measures.

At last, Ty Lee opens the paper and looks up with a tiny smile before reading it aloud.

"Korra Raava!" she regally declares.

Korra at first does not register the sound of her own name. She always knew, somewhere inside of her, that there was a chance she would be Reaped. She had trained for it, but it is surreal when it actually happens. A force inside of her pulls her by the navel towards the stage, her footsteps slow.

The crowd whispers yet again, but this time it is that of sadness and not confusion. Korra tries not to look at the lament of her people and holds back the tears that the pained murmurs trigger in her eyes.

Korra brushes aside Ty Lee's soft hand and helps herself up onto the stage. She makes a beeline to stand behind Asami Sato. _Asami Sato_ , whom Korra never imagined would be in this situation. Thankfully, she looks to be in as much disbelief as everyone else around her.

Mayor Raiko recites the Treaty of Balance, and Korra and Asami stare at each other vacantly. They try to peel their eyes away but they keep drifting back to fixate on each other.

Korra averts her sapphire eyes because she can tell that they are both thinking about their history together.

The odds are in no one's favor today.

[X]

After the Reaping, a trembling Korra sits patiently in the heavily guarded room in which she is permitted to say her goodbyes. She toys with her fingers and goes through waterbending moves in her head over and over again in order to withhold her emotions.

She was expecting her parents, but Iroh II walks in first. Korra supposes he was much closer to the holding cell when on the stage, and he looks disheveled when he finally walks to stand in front of her.

"You can win this," Iroh II says forcefully, his eyes burning with passion. "You _can_. Trust me."

Korra feels extremely uncomfortable. "Yeah, I totally kick ass but I'm..." Korra pauses, not sure why she is experiencing such reluctance. "I mean that _I totally kick ass_ and duh I'm gonna win!"

Iroh II smiles faintly at her. "That's the Korra who needs to go into the Games. The one who was so overconfident that she got beaten to a pulp even in _sparring sessions_ but still thought she was the best ever."

"I turned out to be the best ever, though," Korra protests and Iroh II's smile becomes more wistful.

"Remember what I taught you. And remember the people who love you." The silence is painful. "Any last requests?"

Korra thinks about it for a second.

"Will you kiss me on my mouth place?" Korra blurts out as she sees Iroh II nervously glance at the clock.

He laughs weakly before realizing that she is not kidding.

"I'm a little too old and too crazy for you, kid," he says and Korra pouts in disappointment. "I will kiss you _platonically_ anywhere but your _mouth place_."

Korra knows he is expecting her cheek, maybe a peck on her neck. But she grins in a way that makes Iroh II narrow his eyes.

"Kiss me on my nose place," Korra says brightly and Iroh II laughs a bit like an asteroid is hurtling at the Earth and the world is ending anyway.

"Fine," he says with a begrudging sigh.

Korra leans forward with her nose pointed towards him and he shakes his head in mock disapproval before quickly, quickly kissing her on the nose. It is... it isn't the most awkward kiss he has ever had, actually.

"That was a great nose kiss," Korra says, smiling for a few moments longer before the gruff voice of a peacekeeper interrupts them and Korra is reminded of her impending fate.

"I'll see you at probending practice. You're going to have a lot to catch up on, and the Harmony Games are no excuse for late homework."

And those are his parting words that feel like a punch to Korra's gut.

Senna and Tonraq burst into the room together, completely neglecting the rule about having one visitor at a time. But no one has the heart to stop them as they both hug their daughter, Senna is crying, Tonraq looks on the verge of it as well.

"Listen," her dad says as her mom is still trying to form words. "You are the best waterbender I've ever met, and you're going to make it. I've seen you in your bending matches and nobody is counting on what you've got in you."

"Hide," Senna insists. "Hide until you know you have a shot."

"You can win," her dad states and Korra is proud of them for keeping optimistic. If her kid was Reaped she would probably be a blubbering mess about it essentially being their funeral.

"I know," Korra says assuredly, even though she is not certain if she believes it or not. "Oh! Don't forget to feed Naga."

"We won't," her dad replies.

She then sees the soldiers standing again, and Asami turning away from her father in the hallway and joining Azula and Hama. Korra hugs both of her parents as tightly as she can.

"Mom, dad," Korra says as bravely as she can manage. "I'll miss you."

"We love you so much," her mom replies, and she and her husband continue the embrace as Korra is ushered away towards the train station.

Korra tries not to listen to their sobbing.

The train for the tributes is beautiful, and decorated in hues of red, blue, gold and silver. Asami imagines that it must be different for the other districts and their combinations of colors. Their escort leads Asami and Korra to their separate rooms and Asami looks around, rummaging through drawers to find beautiful clothes, and examining the fixtures.

She is not left alone for long, only long enough to clean herself up and change, before Ty Lee calls them both for dinner.

Azula is not there, but Korra saw her on the train. Hama sits silently, analyzing them both as she eats her food. Asami is made uncomfortable by the gaze, while Korra is too busy eating everything that can fit into her mouth to pay attention to her mentor.

Hama looks between Korra and Asami, and she watches all of their movements to try to figure out if she has a victor on her hands or not. She is not sure with them yet, but she hopes for the best for the Korra girl.

After eating dinner, which Korra found incredible and Asami found incapable to eat due to her remaining nerves, they sit on a plush sofa and watch the Reaping of the other tributes. It serves to make both girls nervous, as they realize this is the first look they will get at their competition.

 _And_ they know that their competition will see them as well.

 **District 1: Fire and Earth**. The wealthiest district above 2. The Earth tribute is a volunteer who punched another kid to the ground, and the other is more eloquent, which makes Korra feel uneasy. She has dark hair, pale skin and a steely, cold expression at all times. The Fire tribute maintains his status as tribute, and they both exchange a knowing glance before shaking hands, the Earth tribute reluctant to touch him for some reason.

 **District 3: Water and Water**. The final district that ever produces careers. Twins. It is the first time Korra has seen that, and she does not like the look of either of them.

 **District 4: Water and Water**. 4 met the same fate as 2. They both used to be stronger and win more often, but now they have withered to a husk. A scrawny young boy who must be only twelve, looking horrified as he cries in front of the cameras. Asami bites her lip and looks away but Korra can only stare, her heart pounding. And beside him, an older boy who grins at the luxury of being Reaped.

 **District 5: Water and Earth**. It is a middle district; there is nothing of note about it. A suave looking waterbending boy. His cocky strut makes Korra grimace. And a slender Earth girl stands beside him.

 **District 6: Earth and Earth**. The poorest districts begin. 6, 7, 8 and 9 almost never stand a chance; everyone is hungry and devoid of hope. A boy with very verdant eyes. He is tan, muscular, and despite his warm expression, Korra imagines he could easily snap some tributes in half. Beside him a girl with bright red hair and a pout whom Korra knows will get endless sponsors because of her sex appeal.

 **District 7: Fire and Air**. The Fire boy accepts his fate with silence before staring directly into the cameras. People will like him. Korra likes him already. And then Korra whimpers when she sees the tiny air girl, screaming as she is Reaped and dragged to the stage. Thankfully, the footage ends before they shake hands due to the crying child.

 **District 8: Earth and Air**. They both are young, starving, and Korra does not look too long because she knows they will likely die immediately, given their district.

 **District 9: Fire and Fire**. Korra's eyes are drawn to one of the two mentors from the district. The ugly red scar on his handsome face makes it difficult _not_ to notice him. One of their tributes is rail thin but has a bit of energy, the other looks like she is going to faint just from walking to the stage. That's how District 9 is every year.

The President's wife was starving her year, and that type of kid doesn't make it so easily. It was pretty impressive that she won. It was less impressive that she abandoned her district and became whatever political prop she is now.

Korra would call her a traitor like anybody else, but District 2 is pretty forgiving of the Capitol's favorite citizens.

"Well, not _that_ much competition," Azula says loftily, causing both of her tributes to flinch. Korra realizes that the feed has snapped away with the song of the National Anthem, and, judging by Asami's expression, she was not the only one lost in thought. "Maybe you two will live through the first night."

She rises and leaves as Ty Lee grimaces at her and Hama remains silent.

"I wouldn't count you two out," Ty Lee states brightly, examining them both. It just feels patronizing, and Korra steels her jaw but Asami mumbles a halfhearted thank you.

Hama just shakes her head. "It is much, much too early to tell."

"How reassuring," Korra snaps before regretting being so snide with the woman who has her life in her hands.

Hama just laughs.

[X]

Asami tries to settle in her bedroom for the night, but everything feels wrong. She rips the soft sheets off of the bed a thousand times and remakes it, rearranges things, tries to feel some comfort instead of the cold false luxury.

She is sweating like she was just in a fight when her redecorating is interrupted by her mentor, who leans against the steel doorframe of Asami's compartment.

"You must be surprised," Azula says, as if commenting on the weather and not the impending death of a seventeen-year-old girl.

"I guess... I guess I am," Asami admits, genuinely unsure what to say.

Azula has developed noticeable Capitol accent, and that might be more disturbing than the fake eyelashes and metallic gold make-up. At least, Asami decides, she does not look as drastically strange as the other people of Caldera.

There is a vague and uncomfortable moment in which Asami wonders if Azula even remembers her. Azula was ten, most likely, when Asami saw her last.

But of course Azula does, and Asami sort of can see it in her eyes. But they're broken is the thing.

"You have a history with Korra, don't you?" Azula inquires and Asami's heart skips a beat when she thinks Azula is going to _ask_ about their history.

Asami stammers, "It's just a stupid story about an electric glove and a probending match."

"That actually sounds like a quite interesting story," Azula purrs with a cocked eyebrow, easily able to tell that Asami does not trust her for a second, given her association to president Shinohai.

But allegiance is more complicated than that. Azula does not have the stupidity or false honor to tell Asami that she was Reaped because of Azula denying Ozai a request, yet, she _could_ play up the familial thing...

 _Could_.

"I... Korra will probably tell it better," Asami deflects, and Azula just stares at her for a moment.

"Probably," Azula says, shrugging. She then picks at her lip before explaining, "I actually want you to have something."

Asami blinks once. And then she says, "Yeah?"

"It's a token for you to wear in the Games," Azula says, striding forward into the luxurious bedroom compartment. She opens her palm and reveals a dented golden pin.

Asami recognizes it. She gave it to Azula four years ago, when she was her sister's only visitor after the Reaping. It is a phoenix, beautiful but aged. It was her mother's token and Asami never asked where or how she got it, she just knows that it is older than nineteen years.

Azula makes a small sound in the back of her throat before leaving in silence, clearly disappointed in her tribute already. Magnificent.

Gazing at the pin in her hand feels like a memory from a dream, and nothing more.

She sits down and swallows as she tries to calm her racing heart. Sorting through today is nearly impossible, and she simply cannot wrap her head around all that has transpired.

It seems odd. It seems _fixed_. This is a rigged game and Asami has never been more sure of it.

None of this is about luck or odds.

The game was rigged from the start.

[X]

 _Azula tries to breathe. She gasps for breath but the hands holding her under the water are much stronger than her attempts at flailing and weaker attempts at bending. She rises above the surface and screams, not saving herself enough time to breathe before he shoves her under again._

 _She is drowning in a bottomless abyss and..._

"Azula." _Kick_. Kick in her side, gently, from smooth, immaculately waxed legs. "Azula. _Azula_. AZULA!"

" _What_?" grumbles the jaded victor into her plush pillow.

"It's time to get up. I think you really should talk to the tributes," Ty Lee rattles off sweetly, her tone instantly gentle. It reminds Azula of rabaroo pups in... sparkle eye shadow or something.

Ty Lee's eyes somehow get even bigger every time she talks to Azula, and the Mentor is disgusted by how much she looks like the Capitol fangirls. She probably _is_ a Capitol fangirl, now that Azula thinks about it.

Azula is sweating, disoriented and every kind of sore a body can feel. She does not remember falling asleep, but she does realize she is on a train, and that she can smell food in the other room and hear Korra talking.

"I don't care about them," Azula replies quietly, trying to go back to sleep. Her head hurts and she cannot believe she has been forced into this.

Particularly because the reaping was so clearly a punishment. Particularly because this mentoring has nothing to do with _laws_ and everything to do with the personal life of the man who makes them. It leaves a bitter, metallic taste in her mouth.

"Please come out," Ty Lee begs and Azula rolls over, squinting at her.

"Does that work on the mentors you're used to?" she inquires coldly and Ty Lee purses her lips. Somehow, at this hour, she already looks outrageously made up, with an elaborate braid, perfect make-up and pink decals on her shoulders to match her prim dress.

"Usually," Ty Lee says with a superfluous grin. She is quite used to charming victors, and she may or may not have slept with a few of them. Admittedly, Azula would be quite a conquest, given her social status and general sex appeal.

Ty Lee may or may not have every issue of the comic book series based on Azula.

The mentor sighs, realizing that she _does_ have some obligations as a mentor. "Let me make myself look presentable."

"I'll be waiting with Hama and the girls," Ty Lee says cheerily before leaving and Azula wonders if any of the silent yet heavily armed peacekeepers have a _key_ to keep these prying people out. She is the president's daughter, after all.

 _Although there is no way she is the only one..._

She is just the one who would raise his ratings through the ceiling if he claimed openly and shared emotional interviews with in the months after her victory. She is just the one who decided that the way he could burn up her past with such ease was well worth playing along.

 _Although she knows other victors and knows what happens when they refuse things..._

And then, as she finishes tying up her hair and concealing her wan face with make-up, she glances to the breakfast table, where Hama is already helping Korra perfect ice blades, and Asami is casually slicing an orange and listening attentively. She has the phoenix token pinned to her crisp red jacket.

It is not in Azula's nature to feel remorse or to think about the repercussions of her actions. It is not how she ever was, nor is it how she has ever wanted to be. But it does sting slightly to know that someone was reaped because of her, to punish her, and she is now forced to attempt to save her with no experience in mentoring at all whatsoever.

After collecting herself, Azula sits down at the breakfast table at last and Asami immediately averts her emerald eyes. Bright green: she got them from their mother. Korra also looks vibrant, and Azula immediately can tell that they are both scared, but showing it in incredibly different ways.

One fades and tries to focus on her thoughts, the other tries to make herself as loud as possible to overcompensate.

Almost cute.

"Cute," Ty Lee remarks as she listens to Korra talk about her pet polar bear dog.

"Yeah. I miss her already." Korra says relatively coldly and Azula examines her for a moment. "I raised her since she was a little puppy and we've always been close."

"That's so sweet. I once went to a zoo," is Ty Lee's completely out of touch response, and Hama chuckles to herself. "And when I was a kid I wanted to join the circus."

Asami laughs now, suddenly looking far less serious. "What?"

"Yes, I used to be a gymnastics competitor, but it didn't vibe very well for me with all of the competition. And I imagined I would run away and join a circus. I instead became an escort."

As Ty Lee smiles and starts examining fruit, Asami continues laughing and Korra slowly shakes her head. Leaning in, out of earshot of the armed guards, Korra whispers to her district partner, "As if the Capitol isn't already enough of a freakshow..." which only makes Asami start chortling.

"Learning!" Asami blurts out before feeling like an idiot. Korra laughs even harder than before. Because laughing just makes this feel so much easier, and so much less like being literally stuck on a train propelling her to her death. "I mean, we should think of strategies, or at least start to, right?"

"There's time for that once you've seen your competition," Azula says coldly and Hama nods.

"Trying to play on a script is always a mistake," the waterbender adds and Korra licks her lips. "This afternoon, you're going to get handed to your stylists the second the train stops, and then you're going to be paraded, and then, we'll start to figure out some strategy for Training Week."

"Here's my advice. Do everything _shocking_ you can. The people want loud, memorable faces, and they want _good television_. Be shocking, be remembered, make good television," Azula suggests.

"I second that," Hama adds.

"Not that either of you are going to win," Azula remarks with a sigh, glancing between the two tributes. Ty Lee makes a small coughing sound of discomfort. "Don't assume. Overconfidence just isn't pretty."

Korra scoffs and Azula stares at her in a way that would make most people squirm. But the tribute just sets her elbows on the table and stares back. "You're one to talk. I've literally never met someone so over-assured and vain."

"You don't look in the mirror often, do you?" Azula replies with a smug smirk.

"You, and _this one_ over here, get to be selfish and confident, because you know that you're never going to starve, or die on in a storm on a fishing boat, or get killed just because of your element. You know you're going to rack up sponsors because you look like the people with money, and you're fan favorites because your parents got fans first. My overconfidence helps me survive, _your_ overconfidence is a product of your upbringing," Korra says and Asami frowns as Hama cringes and Ty Lee looks concerned.

Azula pauses before clapping sarcastically. "Such a rousing speech. You must have a lot of friends."

Korra scowls.

[X]

"So, the train stops in two hours, I heard Hama say," Korra says quietly, awkwardly striking up conversation with Asami. She is very fixated on a small, round, metal object with wires sticking out. "Don't electrocute yourself."

"Don't worry," Asami replies and Korra shrugs before sitting down beside her.

"Here's some of that tea," Korra says, handing Asami the second mug she is carrying. "I've honestly never had this before except Water Tribe tea in a few ceremonies. It's _amazing_."

"And you sure like your cheese wrapped bacon... or bacon wrapped turkey? With cheese? I don't even know what to call that monstrosity," Asami says with a tiny, playful smirk. She continues twisting the wires, exposing the raw copper within.

"I kind of," Korra admits, clearing her throat and squirming, "kind of want to apologize for how I went off on you at breakfast."

"I've heard it all before," Asami says, not sounding nearly as jilted as Korra thought she would be. "It's alright. People assume I'm daddy's helpless little girl, or that I was born lucky and off the hook. But I'm... Just never mind. I forgive you."

Korra nods, feeling even more guilty now. She wishes Asami were angrier. "I'm just a bit, uh..."

"Hot tempered?" Asami chuckles.

"Yeah. That. And on edge, and everything... I hate how cushy this place is. It just feels like they're flaunting it," Korra says with a grimace.

"Did you ever hear the story about Shan and Ming?"

Korra squints, pouting her lips as she tries to think. At last, she shakes her head.

"It's an old fairy tale my mom told me a couple of times. There are these two children, who live in the, probably the old Fire Nation, back before it was bombed to oblivion. The two kids are cast out of their home by their parents, and they go into the woods, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind them. Of course, animals eat the breadcrumbs, and they wind up lost."

"That's predictable," Korra interjects with a laugh. Asami looks at her for a moment before continuing.

"They came across this beautiful house made of sugar glass. I've never had it, even with my mom and dad's money. But it's made by melting sugar and flavors. So, they, starving after being lost in the woods, start eating the windows. And then out comes an old spirit, disguised as a woman," Asami says smoothly, finishing her final tweak of a bolt. "She offers them food, and then chains them up to make them _into her food_."

Korra grimaces. "Well this went from candy to cannibalism fast."

"I know. She gave Shan all of this candy, and gave Ming beautiful dresses and tried to keep them content so they wouldn't notice that she was just preparing them to be cooked," Asami says as she frowns at her work and starts rummaging around for something to substitute a socket wrench. "Well, they... my dad says the story went that they outsmarted her and locked her in her own oven to burn to death, and then escaped. My mom says that they were never heard from again, and she ate them."

Korra rubs her nose. "That's pretty morbid."

"Did your parents ever tell you stories?" Asami inquires softly, hoping she will not push any buttons. She struggles so much to relate to people who weren't raised in her very unusual situation. But, thankfully, Korra is oblivious, bold and brash simply because she can be, and that makes it easy for Asami to speak with her.

 _And only one of them will go home..._

"No. But, uh, my parents used to sing me songs a lot. Mostly songs about what the Water Tribes lost in the Dark Days. One about this Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It's a lullaby. And a few others. But my favorite was always 'Leaves from the Vine' when I was a kid. I asked to hear it all the time."

"My mother used to sing this song about a dead guy and a tree," Asami remarks as she finds that there is nothing to help her complete her repairs of the radio in her bedroom. The train may be immaculate and expensive, but Asami has found that many of her dad's older inventions are disregarded or broken.

"Your mother sounds..." Korra trails off, her cheeks flushing bright red after she remembers what happened to Asami's mother. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

"It's no problem," Asami replies with another small smile. And Korra hates how much she already _likes_ Asami as a friend. Making friends is... is so _stupid_ when she is about to go to the Harmony Games.

Korra also hates how she has always felt a bit like she _owes_ Asami for something that happened four years ago. And, strangely enough, Asami also feels like she owes her. That is only going to make everything so much more difficult.

Asami feels the train slowing and swallows as Korra immediately bolts to the window to get a good look at the Capitol. Quickly, the heiress follows her and stares out. They both start waving eagerly, Korra doing it first, and Asami quickly realizing that charming the Capitol is the best chance of survival.

And, just as Azula and Hama said, Asami and Korra are ushered into the arms of guards and stylists before they can blink twice.

[X]

"Korra, Korra, _Korra_. My stunning tribute," says the tan young man walking directly at the half-naked and doused tribute.

She has just been forcibly bathed and shaven by gawking Capitol Citizens, and she is in absolutely no mood for whoever _this_ is. It is a young, slender man with dark skin, bright green eyes and a nose that seems far less altered and pointed than the other _groomers_ Korra has been subjected to. He has a spring in his step that she does not understand; this seems like the worst job ever, to be honest, yet he is happy and dressed up.

Although his body seems quite natural, and he does not have implants, or bright pink tattoos like Ty Lee, his outfit is what Korra would call somewhat beyond extravagant. He looks as if an emerald necklace threw up on a tuxedo.

Korra is in a small, metal room, loaded with fabric, make-up, and smelling strongly of a mixture of perfumes. A few people are scuttling about, all looking like some kind of rainbow freak-show. She has been tapping her fingers anxiously as she waits for her stylist.

"Who are you?" Korra asks earnestly, unable to peel her eyes away from the shimmering.

"I am Wu. _Just_ Wu. And Capitol Couture Magazine named me _Prince_ of Design for the past five years straight, so sometimes I'm Prince Wu. But basically, I'm superhuman with sequins and superheroes only need one name." He cocks an eyebrow and offers a playful smirk, and Korra is capable only of staring. He seems genuinely insane.

"That's an interesting scarf," Korra blurts out, unsure what else to say. It is _gold_. Gold and emeralds; usually it seems to be gold and rubies here. The Fire Nation never really faded from popular elitism, particularly here or in the wealthier parts of districts.

"Mhm, mhm, yes. I know. And you are an interesting young lady." He winks. He _winks_.

She narrows her eyes. There is a moderate chance he might be hitting on her.

"Right. So, I'm assuming you have a sunglass line to sell, which is why you requested District 2?" Korra grimaces.

"No. I actually think that Fire and Water pose way more interesting possibilities than any of those other elements," Wu says carelessly, not seeming to sense Korra's exasperation. "So _romantic_ , you know? Opposite elements, warring against each other. Hot and cold..."

"That's the direction they always go," Korra says, sniffing and sighing. "Cliche. Ugh, love on the beach, fun on the beach... Maybe I could be a mermaid this year."

She scoffs before realizing that _actually_ might happen.

Wu points accusingly at her and declares, "I'm not a cliche."

"I can tell from the scarf and hat combination," Korra replies quietly with a small grimace. She is completely serious about that assertion.

Wu laughs. "I have had this _amazing_ idea with Xia ─ that's Asami's stylist and the woman behind the Girl on Fire ─ and your mentors. I really hate beaches, so that's out of the question. Instead of the gross, clashing cliché _opposites_ thing... _cold fire_. Or, hot water..."

"Mhm?" Korra furrows her brow.

"Well, actually, technically really, really hot fire."

"Mhm..."

"I am going to set you and your district partner _on fire_."

"Right..."

"Well, we're going to give you this nice sleek, wet hair and bikinis vibe─"

"Right... and then there will be some red reflective billowing material or - oh, oh - some fake sand or the look of an old Ember Island Vintage Poster..."

"Okay, are you the stylist?" Wu asks, now looking mildly annoyed. "I _told_ you I wasn't a cliché. Just wait."

"Mmmm..." The truth is, clichés are why the tribute parade is so _boring_. District 2 is either beaches or lightning storms. District 1 something molten, shining, gold or platinum. _Mermaids_ for water districts.

The last _genuine_ impression made by anything other than personality or a hot body was Azula Shinohai when she became the Girl on Fire. As amazing as that outfit was, Korra does not think she wants to wear only blue fire.

"You're zoning out! Just wait for my plans." Wu winks at her again.

Korra frowns and wonders if it's some kind of Capitol thing.

[X]

After being led by armed guards away from her stylist, feeling slippery, soft and strange, Korra is at last taken to the chariots leading into the heart of the Capitol, towards the Training Center. She looks up and can see the imitation Caldera, and it would be impossible to know that it was not fake if she had not learned it in school.

It is based on Caldera City from the Fire Nation, which was destroyed a _long_ time depictions of the city are featured in every single textbook Korra ever defaced with swear words and illustrations of probending matches, Ba Sing Se too, and Zaofu when they're warning the kiddies not to rebel or they'll get nuked to death.

While the walls did not stand out to her in those textbooks, Korra feels the squeamish sensation of being trapped when she sees how the arches of land and cement look like walls keeping everyone inside. The city never ceases. Neon building after neon building; it looks like a remarkably glamorized version of the Fire Nation sector of District 2. These skyscrapers are way taller and flash and blink with colors Korra has never seen before.

She catches herself gawking at _buildings_ and quickly snaps out of it when she sees Asami. And promptly nearly smashes her face in on the chariot. So help her, if she gets taken out _before_ the Games because her district partner is wearing a bikini...

 _No, nope, nupe_...

They are _both_ in metallic battle bikinis because that is a weird trademark. Korra has _never_ seen someone in a battle bikini outside of funny propaganda posters or when watching the games. Korra never noticed the shining lotions and liquids that make them shimmer on other tributes, but she supposes that is how they make them look like they just got back from the beach.

She kind of assumed they just dunked them into water.

Korra takes one look at her District Partner and thinks that she will probably not lack for sponsors.

Which is ultimately why the cliche, downplayed costumes are so popular. _Let the personalities and bodies of the tributes do the talking, not the flash the Capitol is used to every day..._

"Hey," Asami says before grimacing. That is not the most articulate she has been.

"Yeah, hey, so, uh, huh, well," Korra rambles, "I think it's weird that they seem to think we have a beach that people can swim in and not just a ton of mud and reeds with some murky water in them. You know I think those little crawfish-snails are really... I used to dig them up..."

Korra freezes as she sees Asami holding back a fit of laughter. Her shoulders shake slightly with the silent giggles.

"So, my stylist said something about us being lit on fire?" Asami inquires, edging closer to Korra and seeming not to notice how hard she is trying not to stare. "I really don't think this body oil should be near open flames..."

"They can't _actually_ have fire. The Capitol would lose it and there would be injuries and it's probably offensive to their cultural heritage or something... _I mean_ , no offense to your cultural..." Korra blushes hard.

Asami waves her hand dismissively. "It's fine. I mean, I'm Fire Nation, but not... _that_ Fire Nation, I guess."

"You really do have nice green eyes," Korra says quietly before wanting to hide somewhere. _No_. Asami is much nicer than Korra thought she would be, but getting attached to her when only one of them is coming out of the arena alive... it's not smart.

"Thank you," Asami says calmly before turning away. And Korra swallows as she wishes she had that kind of control over her emotions. "I liked that storm they did a few years back for our District. It was pretty far from boring. The 70th Games were incredible, of course. I met the lady who made that dress. She's my stylist even though she retired after the 70th Games. She came back just to make our clothes."

Korra censors her long speech about how this pageantry makes her feel like a poodle-monkey, once she realizes that the small talk is probably the best way for she and Asami to remain detached from each other. And that, in the end, is the most important thing.

She walks to the ostrich-horse and starts to pet him.

[X]

"So, how do I light this on fire? Me and Asami can't bend and stuff." Korra inquires as Wu and Asami's stylist push them into the chariot as if they are rounding farm animals into a pen.

"It's a surprise," says the beautiful female stylist responsible for Asami and the tributes exchange a worried glance.

Spontaneous combustion is not their idea of a good time.

"Hold hands!" Wu shouts, his eyes flashing as the chariot starts moving.

Korra frantically wipes her sweaty palm on the bottoms of her bikini, but it only makes them greasier when they come into contact with the oil. But Asami does not seem to mind as she seizes Korra's hand and begins to smile at the crowd.

The parade fascinates Korra. She does not think she has ever seen so many people in one place, the seas of faces and multiple colors as far as the eye can see. District 2 is exclusively red, blue and grey. Asami seems to enrapture the crowd, distracting them from their cheers for the glimmering, molten metal clad District 1 in front of them.

It is then that Korra learns what their stylists meant by _surprise_.

"On fire. You're on fire. _I'm_ on fire," Korra says quickly, looking at her shoulders, and then listening to overwhelming cheers. "We're going to..."

"Die?" Asami finishes, her emerald eyes wide. It takes them a few breathless moments to realize that, despite the fact that they are ablaze, there is no heat.

 _Fake_. Also, bright cerulean. Fake, bright cerulean fire that is currently consuming their famed cliche bikinis based on the beaches of District 2.

Korra and Asami hold hands even more tightly, possibly cutting off each other's circulation. Asami throws she and Korra's hands into the air as it becomes evident that Korra is contemplating throwing herself off of the chariot in panic.

Asami hides her disappointment at the fact that she has already sunken into the trap of the Victor Legacy. All Zhu Li talked about before getting distracted by pins and fabrics and lipstick was how Asami's eyes were so much like her mothers. Or how _wow_ she really had Azula's confident posture.

The idea that there is a reprisal of Azula's entrance makes Asami clench her jaw.

Korra, however, does not even notice the fact that this fire was used before, because her eyes are wide with excitement.

" _Korra! Korra!_ " and the cheering continues as Korra slowly looks around, thinking again about the faerie tale Asami told her on the train. The Capitol does make her feel so welcomed, so loved. But they really just cannot wait until she is hacked up into pieces.

She looks to her side at Asami, trying not to think about the fact that she seems to be naked beneath the concealing blue flames.

( _Is Korra naked too? Yes! Oh spirits_...)

No, they have clothes on. Nude cloth. Thank the spirits.

Asami looks at Korra as they reach the Main Square, staring straight forward at the Tribute Center that grazes the indigo night sky. The bleachers and balconies around it must be constructed exclusively for the games, and the President stands above with his entourage and his very bored wife partially obscured by shadows.

The moment Asami hears Varrick Shio start to prattle on about how cute the family resemblance is, she realizes the lost interest of the crowd, their eyes drifting to that gorgeous redhead. Asami needs to make her own mark.

And in her panic, she acts on impulse.

She grabs Korra by the arm and kisses her fiercely and messily on the lips. Korra nearly falls out of the chariot before catching herself with one hand.

Now _that_ turns every single head in the massive audience.


	2. Book 1: That Was Mahogany

**Chapter Two  
That Was Mahogany**

 _Life is merely a numbers game, a series of odds, and eventually we all lose.  
-Pete Wentz-  
_

* * *

 ** _Between the 70th and the 71st Harmony Games, District 2_**

 _Asami rubs her nose as she quietly pads down the corridor of one of the only two high schools in the District. She is trying to hide behind her books and her hair as she creeps through the halls without any pass, probably inviting herself to get questioned or flogged._

 _She has to admit she has been having trouble... trouble coping with losing her mother. Her father is taking it worse, and Asami knows she needs to be strong for him. But it is getting difficult to focus on her classes when everything reminds her of what is going on in her home._

 _As she sneaks through a loose window that many students use to hide, talk privately or smoke, she clambers down from the side of the school. While Asami walks away, she notices for the first time how everything in District 2 looks like a prison. It does not matter if it is a school, barber shop, factory or house. It looks like a prison._

 _Not getting caught should not be immensely difficult. And people tend to look the other way for her, given who her father is. So, she starts walking through town, deciding to take a shortcut through the Numachi Boroughs, which is where the people of Water Tribe descent live, along with their businesses._

 _Muddy beaches are at the other side. Fire Nation people work in factories, Water Tribe people fishing... it is the thousandth example of how they are all worker bee-ants, and they all somehow serve the Capitol. Victor's Village is between them both, and towards the North._

 _But Asami is not going to Victor's Village. She's going to Eel-Shark Bridge._

 _It is as Asami quietly passes the outside of the Water Tribe School that she sees a fight in the middle of the street. Her first instinct is to jump back and find a way around it, to stop herself from getting implicated. But then she grits her teeth when she sees it is a single girl about Asami's age versus multiple adult peacekeepers with muscles, electrified gloves and chi-blocking training._

 _Asami dashes forward as she sees the girl conjure a whip of water that collides with a whip of leather in mid-air with a loud crack. She skids to a stop in front of the fight and takes the peacekeepers by surprise as one of them kicks the girl to the ground and puts a gun to her head._

 _"Let her go," Asami demands, her heart pounding in her throat. "Let her go!"_

 _The peacekeepers pay her no mind, not realizing that she is Hiroshi Sato's girl. Asami hears the cocking of the gun against the stranger's head, and Asami does the only thing she can think of. She grabs the glove off of one of the chi-blockers, blindsiding him and stunning everyone else, and she quickly digs it into the man about to shoot an innocent girl to death._

 _He is struck by it, and Asami is grabbed by the shoulders._

 _Korra looks up at her, wiping her bloody lip with the back of her hand. That is Hiroshi Sato's spoiled heiress daughter. That is the girl who Korra thinks might have just saved her life._

 _"I'm taking you both to the Police Station," is all the peacekeeper can say, now that this girl has intervened._

 _Harming Asami Sato is unwise, even if she did just assault a peacekeeper. The Capitol is too reliant on her father, her mother has a legacy as a Victor, and her sister is the President's daughter, for all spirits' sake. They know she is untouchable, and she knows that she is untouchable, and therefore able to pull a stunt like that._

 _Korra looks massively relieved by the fact that she is not dead, even if she hates owing Asami for it. The two of them are escorted, in chi-blocking handcuffs, to the nicer side of town, to the fire side of town, and forced into a swelteringly hot prison cell._

 _They can only stare at each other for long minutes, unsure what they are supposed to say or do._

 _"Thank you," Korra at last says and Asami looks at her, still speechless. "Thanks for saving my butt."_

 _"It's no problem. What did you do to rile them up so much anyway?" Asami asks softly, wondering what crime could have been severe enough for Korra to try to fight and run._

 _"I tried to skip school," Korra admits, shrugging. Asami furrows her brow, stunned that the peacekeepers would do that. But it does relieve Asami that she did not just risk her life to save a real criminal. "It was pretty dumb."_

 _"You're a good waterbender," Asami says honestly and Korra smiles at her._

 _"Yeah. I am." Korra shrugs. "I'm doing a probending match tonight, if you wanna come," Korra offers, her eyes lighting up. And then her heart nearly evacuates her body through her throat. That might have been the stupidest thing Korra has ever said._

 _"I'd love to," Asami says honestly and Korra breathes a short sigh of relief. "Where are you competing?"_

 _[X]_

 _Asami might have been grounded forever, but that did not stop her from convincing her dad to let her go to the probending match. She might or might not have said that she had an important project for school and needed to go to the District 2 library at all costs._

 _The groveling and apologizing to her father probably helped her cause._

 _She has never been to this kind of place, even in her street racing endeavors. It is rowdier, somehow, than that underground circuit she frequents. And she feels odd as she gently pushes her way through the crowd and tries to find where she is supposed to buy tickets. Then it occurs to her that the event is free, and she switches gears to find a seat._

 _The teams are different in different districts. Asami knows that even if she has not left District 2 since she was a little girl. Here, water teams play against fire teams. In District 8, earth teams play air teams. Asami wonders often if the divisions between the elements are as distinct in the other districts as they are here in District 2._

 _Or, honestly, what it would be like to be in District 3 or District 4 and have the homogenous element of water. Asami has grown up so used to the duality, and the injustice, that she has no idea what it would be like to live in that kind of environment._

 _Korra's team is called up, and Asami is captivated by the fight._

 _It is amazing._

 _[X]_

 _Asami waits for Korra when it is over, poking loose stones with her clean boots and wondering if she should compliment her or not. She has never interacted much with the Water Citizens and she probably would say something offensive._

 _She flips her hair and watches a brief flicker of attention rest on her; she doesn't find it reassuring though._

 _At last, Asami sees Korra walking out, laughing with her teammates._

 _Asami swallows. Asami's heart races. Asami runs before Korra can see her._

 _Even though Korra searches for her for ten minutes while making excuses._

 _She got stood up._

 _Not that she cares._

* * *

Azula struggles to contain the literal sparks of her frustration as she leads her wards into the Tribute Center. Korra and Asami giggle like schoolgirls about their stunt, and Ty Lee is _commending_ them. Hama looks detached but amused, as Azula expected.

After their kiss and the president's speech, Asami and Korra had been quickly wrapped in purple robes that smothered the fire, somewhat protecting their modesty. Korra tried to examine her competition further, but it was too late. Her eyes were focused very intently on the District 1 Tributes; the boy and girl, the boy handsome, yellow-ish eyes, the girl equally beautiful.

"That's so cool!" Korra loudly declares, having not a lick of shame about her voice reverberating around the shiny lobby. She then quickly points at the object of her excitement. "The statue."

Immediately, Azula looks up and realizes how little mind she has paid the decorations. But this fountain is very intriguing; it has a single young woman with fire perpetually burning in one metal hand, whirlwinds dancing in her other hand, water pouring from her form in distinct patterns, and the earth holding her in her dramatic position is _real_ unlike the metal and crystal that makes up the rest of the Tribute Center.

"It's the Avatar," Hama remarks, disappointed at how befuddled the three girls look. "You must have studied that in school."

Korra awkwardly shifts her weight from foot to foot. She kind of skipped most of school. Azula knows, but she is aggravated by this distraction.

"I _know who that is_. It's in all of the speeches at the Treaty of Treason. I just can't point him out in a crowd, okay?" Korra grumbles. She notices that the Avatar depicted there is a woman, while the last one, the one who vanished when the world needed him most, was a man.

"It's quite fascinating how cycles can just break like that," Hama remarks with a wicked glint in her eyes. Korra squints at her expression, but it fades as she continues, "We should get to the elevator," without explanation of her previous comment.

The old woman tugs on her tributes to Azula's relief. Ty Lee skitters after them, still nearly tripping over her high heels onto her nose as she scampers alongside them.

Once they are on glass elevator shooting to the penultimate floor of the Tribute Center, Azula's gilded eyes narrow on the two girls.

"What was that _kiss_?" Azula demands coldly, her arms crossed.

"You said, be shocking, be remembered, make good television," Korra says with a sloppy grin. "I figure that Asami did exactly that."

Asami bursts into another fit of uncontrollable giggles and so does Ty Lee. Azula just sighs and leans back against the cold glass.

The mentor _does_ have to admit that types of display like that are exactly what she meant when she said those words.

[X]

Even Asami is stunned speechless when they walk onto the floor reserved for them. She imagined that the Victor's Village reflected the luxury of the Capitol, but it does not come _close_. Her mansion looks like a broom closet compared to the shimmering surfaces and decor based around water, fire and steam.

Korra is yet again immobilized and feels like a total moron when she realizes her awe for the thousandth time. They do not show this part of the Capitol during the airings of the Games or President Shinohai's speeches. She does not know the names for half of the furniture and fixtures.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Asami asks excitedly before squeaking softly in regret. Because she was not only Fire Nation, but the wealthiest person in District 2, and she hates the idea that anyone would think she is ignorant or selfish.

Or just a worthless heiress. She gets that too often.

"Yeah, no." Korra wiggles her nose as she walks towards the glistening kitchen. "I mean, I grew up in a house in the fishing village. It was really nice compared to the tenements that Fire Nation people work in, to be honest. I'd rather have a mud floor but room to breathe than those apartments."

Asami swallows nervously; she has nothing to compare it to, and so she nods.

"It's really modern," she comments, even though it looks futuristic. She pushes on one of the chairs, which is a shape she cannot compare to the tatami mats she is used to. "I'm gonna check out my bedroom."

"Me too! I mean, my _own_ bedroom. Not... unless you want to in a, in a friend way."

Korra runs to her room before she can remedy her awkward situation, and lays eyes on an incredibly beautiful bedroom. The blue is gorgeous; it is a shade that Korra cannot identify but she thinks she has seen it before. Her bed looks inviting and comfortable, and the walls are ridged like the waves of water.

She explores the different fixtures, running her hands over every smooth surface. Everything is spotlessly clean and polished, unlike her sandy room at home. Korra finds a remote to the screen across from her bed and finds the bright red button that detracts from the smooth, clean gold of the device.

At first, she is treated to the blathering of Varrick Shio that seems to involve talk about tributes, a couple of quips from Head Gamemaker Zhao about how the arena will be so impressive this year. Korra switches it and finds weird clips that she does not have any desire to watch. She hits another button on the remote, trying to figure out how to turn it off, but instead she starts up a crystalline, vivid, living breathing image in front of her.

Korra feels her heart slow as she stares at the scene. The waves make soothing nature sounds that the Capitol distinctly lacks. It almost feels like home, but it isn't.

It is the ocean. The _ocean_. Waves crash against rocks, spraying sea foam towards the sky.

Korra has lost track of how long she has been staring at it when Asami's gentle footsteps enter, interrupting Korra's reverie. The heiress silently sits beside Korra, her eyes drawn in by the image as well.

"Cool, huh?" Korra asks, her eyes sparkling.

"I've never seen the ocean," Asami says softly as she gazes at the transfixing projection

"I haven't either," Korra replies softly.

And nothing more needs to be said.

[X]

Azula walks in on Ty Lee _fretting_ about the countless desserts left out after their dinner. Azula does not expect such _worrying_ from a two dimensional air head. Azula thinks perhaps her tight, glittery braids are the only thing keeping her thoughts in.

"I don't know about the drinks," Ty Lee says softly as she glances up at Azula. "I just think that perhaps they were somewhat subpar..."

"Complain to the officials." Azula shrugs.

"People get... penalized for something that silly." Ty Lee has a flash of _genuine_ emotion on her face, as if she has experience with slaves who get executed for serving poorly mixed drinks. "I just think I might dazzle them up a bit."

Azula lightly points one sharp fingernail at her escort. "I want to ignore you, but I'm mildly curious as to what you can do with a drink."

Ty Lee smiles and ignores the scathing nature of Azula's comment, before looking at the cocktails.

"The blue is way too muted. It looks almost green, which is dumb." Ty Lee squints and speaks in the most serious tone Azula has ever heard her use. "They must have tried to put grenadine into vodka and blue food coloring. That's... ughhh."

Ty Lee grimaces and Azula slowly shakes her head, because she has no idea what grenadine is, but she presumes it is red or gross, or both.

"I hate how much they keep blending the..." Ty Lee's mouth pops open in frightened shock when she realizes she was about to insult the unification of elements. "Keep blending the decor and food in such haphazard ways. It isn't real unity if it looks disgusting."

"And you propose?" Azula cocks an eyebrow and wonders why Ty Lee does not just order a different kind tomorrow.

"Electric blue. I see really great neon colors in the clubs of the Capitol nonstop, and the electric blue would be _perfect_ for our district this year," Ty Lee prattles blithely as she begins to gather ingredients, awkwardly dismissing a slave girl Azula did not notice was present.

Azula walks towards her and leans in the heavy, expensive dining room table. "So...?"

"Okay, I have vodka, the nice coloring of little blue raspberry syrup and then, well..." Ty Lee rummages for a moment, finds the crystal bowl of sugar and pours the entire thing in to the two drinks. "Right. And now a drop of those hard candies."

Azula wonders if she is going to do something else, but she just stirs the horrifying concoction and politely offers one to Azula.

"I have no desire to drink this."

"It's really boozey. It'll knock you out guaranteed," Ty Lee says and Azula cocks an eyebrow.

"How many of these have you already had?" Azula asks and Ty Lee tilts her chin up snootily. Well, Azula just shakes her head and gives the drink a shot, because she kind of enjoys this late-night, befuddled escort.

It _is_ only Ty Lee's third year on the job. Maybe Azula can have some fun with her, unlike all of the gross, cruel, degenerate beauty queens who make-up the other escorts.

Azula... likes it. She does. Azula has always despised alcohol, especially something with the horrifying distaste of Vodka, but it is a relatively fun drink that hides the liquor perfectly with the taste of candy.

"It isn't disappointing," Azula remarks, sitting down at the table and pushing the half empty crystal cup back and forth. It scrapes on the surface and it seems to bother Ty Lee. Azula runs one of her nails along it just to watch her escort squirm.

"Stop that," Ty Lee says as she moves too close to Azula.

The Victor does not let people approach her like that without giving them some sort of retribution or threat. But she kind of likes that candy smell, and at least her strong perfume does not have a hint of roses in it.

"Don't tell me what to do. I am absolutely your superior, not only the Games but in politics and every facet of life," Azula says smoothly and Ty Lee tries not to show how unbearably sexy that is. "But I am very interested in your cocktail creations and not _dreadful_ conversation."

"Yeah. I am a bundle of tons of fun surprises!" Ty Lee declares before recoiling.

But Azula only gives her a small, superior smirk.

"I think I would like to get to know you," Azula purrs, reaching out one hand and touching the escort's chin with her knuckles.

Ty Lee does gravitate towards her, further, and further, trying to ignore the feeling that this means nothing to Azula and she is doing it for some sadistic fun. Ty Lee will deeply regret allowing this to happen a few days into their relationship. But she is getting closer and she _was not lying_ about the two cocktails they have each had.

"Ick, guys!" Korra shouts from across the room, and Azula's hand flares up and chars half of the dining room table to ashes.

Ty Lee is agape, Korra is laughing and Azula stands up with a roll of her eyes. She sighs, forgets the sexual feelings and touches the table.

 _And_ suddenly, Ty Lee bursts with the panic she was bottling up.

Not in a good way. In a very irrationally angry way.

"I know you don't have any experience in interior decorating, or obviously clothes, sorry, sorry, but _that was mahogany_. People _die_ to make solid _mahogany_ like that."

"People die to make the windows, the electronic fixtures, or the power, or the pearls on your dress, or all of our food, and so I don't see what is so special about this table."

"Well maybe I like expensive things!"

"Something burned with my famous fire is worth more than a mahogany table."

"A mahogany tree is the Official Seal of District 8! Because the types of trees it is made from only grow properly and legally in their fertile but extremely dry environment!"

"Well, now it's Black Ash Tree."

" _Not_ funny because that isn't even a type of tree!"

"It is. They grow in the swamps of District 2." Pause. "Korra, tell this ditz that Black Ash Trees are real!"

Korra looks up, sucks in her cheeks uncomfortably and then mutters, "Yeah, they are..."

"Speak up."

"I used to climb them when I was a kid. They're not really easy to climb, and I did it mostly to rub it in the faces of everybody who couldn't." Korra actually crawls out of the room to avoid getting further involved in this extremely passionate fight about dendrology and District 8 climates.

Ty Lee sighs. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot of feelings."

"About trees? Or tables? District 8? I'm quite confused which of those things you have a lot of feelings about."

"Eee," is Ty Lee's sound of discontent, and her cop out for admitting she had a powerful surge of adrenaline when things got a little... heated between she and Azula and so she somehow got angry about a table that isn't even hers.

Ty Lee flees and Azula takes pride in winning.

Victory is very sweet.

Maybe a bit sour too, like this weird blue drink.

[X]

Korra walks into their living room after playing with the electronics in her room for a while. She finds Asami staring out of the window with the best view. The city is beautiful in a way Korra did not think that cities could be.

"This city feels like those poisonous frog-lizards," Asami says and Korra licks her lips, not sure what that means. "They look so beautiful and colorful and friendly, but they really are just trying to kill you. The bright colors are a trick."

To that, Korra nods, shrugs and sits down on the cushy blue window seat beside her district partner.

"So, about that kiss no one stops talking about." Korra freezes for a second. "I mean, I know it was just for the ratings and stuff, but it was kinda my first mouth kiss."

"Mouth kiss?" Asami's lip curls.

"Yeah. Actually, my first kiss ever. I tried to get a first kiss from Iroh before I left but he just weirdly kissed my nose," Korra says plainly, as if that isn't the weirdest thing Asami has ever heard.

Asami is unsure what to say, so she just keeps smiling like a fool.

"I..." Asami chokes on her words. "I never..." _I never had a friend before._ "I never thought that the pink on that building could go so well with the green."

There is not a pink and green building out there, and Asami's hands are uncomfortably sweaty.

Korra isn't faring much better.

"That purplish building is... uh cool too!" Korra jabs her finger towards the skyscraper.

Asami stares at it silently.

It was her first mouth kiss too.

[X]

Asami wakes weakly, her stomach sore and her body drenched with cold sweat. It is still dark out, but she has no desire to go back to sleep. She just curls up in her blankets and attempts to get a grip on herself somehow. But it is proving very difficult for Asami not to be afraid. No matter what she tries, Asami cannot shake the fear pounding within her, and in her nightmares, she finds herself in an arena where she can only run backwards, backwards to people waiting to hack her up into little pieces with huge knives.

Her dreams last night were afflicted with gory images of past games, and mostly the thought of her mother's face mixed in with them. Her bright green eyes focused on muttations and tributes alike, all brandishing fangs, claws and shimmering metal weapons.

Asami hates it when she thinks too frequently about her mother.

Her mother wasted away. Her mother broke down into a hollow shell of herself. Her mother abandoned Asami but she does not want to blame her for it. Azula did and Azula ran away before she was twelve. That was only eight years ago, but Azula is a completely different person now, and Asami was a completely different person then.

"Nightmares?" asks the last voice Asami wanted to hear. She looks up at the living, breathing memory of what killed her mom, but she really wants to love her like she did when she was a little girl.

 _"Push me! Please push me!" Asami shrilly shrieks from the swing in their backyard. It consists of a hunk of metal and some beautiful, priceless curtains clamped around the strongest tree._

 _Azula looks up at her, and she looks away._

 _Asami begins to make tiny crying noises._

 _Azula looks up at her, sighs as if it is the greatest inconvenience in her life, and walks over to_ play on _the swings when she could have been studying her firebending and vital history._

"Yeah. I guess it's pretty normal to have bad dreams when I'm about to be put in a fight to the death." Asami neglects to mention what it was about, and Azula has the smarts not to ask.

"I agree," Azula purrs, leaning in the doorway to make a picture perfect silhouette. "The sun is barely up, but you should prepare for today... but take a shower first."

Azula disappears and Asami goes to brush her teeth and get the nasty taste out of her mouth.

[X]

In the dim morning light, Azula and Hama privately discuss the nature of their mentoring. Hama expected this conversation as soon as Asami Sato's name was plucked from the bowl, and she has no reason to resist. It does not interfere at all with her teaching Korra, despite the fact that it is becoming more and more clear that Azula intends for Asami to win and Korra to die.

A Capitol girl, though. She has no idea what the Harmony Games mean beyond awarding her childhood dreams that haven't been poisoned yet. Hama doubts she will ever get on well with those who have truly suffered.

"I'm mentoring Asami," Azula states regally to Hama and the elderly waterbender wishes she were not already tired of this girl's _tone_. Her slowly blossoming Capitol accent. Her entitlement. Her genuine smiles when lavished with attention for acts of violence.

It is a strange and unpleasant phenomenon Hama has never witnessed in her nearly seventy years of life.

"I understand. She's your sister and you have every right to try to protect her until the end. Training the tributes separately always has better results," Hama says coldly, not allowing a fleck of her loathing to be heard.

"Of course." Azula rubs her lips together as she sees through Hama's creepily false amicability. "You did mentor... him."

She might be taken as rude since he clearly did not _live_. Because of her. Azula stole Hama's grandson from her and has no remorse. Azula has the sneaking suspicion that Hama's opinion towards her has everything to do with Azula's hand in murdering her own district partner. Gruesome. Painful.

"Yes." Hama glances out at the city and then walks briskly back inside without another word.

Azula gazes out and her eyes fixate on the walls. She thinks they have as much to do with keeping everyone here _in_ as well as keeping the Nine Districts _out_. Although they are prettier and not electrified, Azula finds the walls to be no different from the ones around the District.

The homage to Caldera is ridiculous; it was a city that had to fall at some point. It paid for its crimes by being rendered to rubble, just like Ba Sing Se. Azula sometimes wishes that the Capitol would meet the same fate, given the fact that she thinks its sins are far graver than those of the warring nations that came before it.

But she keeps that to herself because the Capitol has given her all she ever wanted.

[X]

Inside, Korra wakes from a fitful, restless sleep drenched in sweat. She immediately knows she needs to find a shower, needs the water on her skin to clear her head. And to clean the icky sweat off of her.

Korra's bedroom is larger than her _entire_ house in District 2. It is beautiful, and everything is blue, but a shade of it that is very unnatural and Capitol-esque. Asami's room is covered in red tones, and so Korra imagines everything works with the theme of the district and its elements.

The shower, Korra was intimidated by on her first night. So, she went to sleep sticky with oil and smelling strongly of ash from the fire and sweat from her own panic. The knobs confuse her half to death, and she has no idea why there seem to be a million different options for a _shower_.

At home, Korra used to heat water over a fire and fill a bathtub. She would take turns with her family. They let her go first because she was not fishing yet and was less dirty with mud than her working parents. She had some experience with showers from the ones at the probending school, leftovers from when District 2 trained career tributes, but they were ice cold and dripped weird yellow liquid.

Korra begins to step out of her clothes, and is half undressed, masked by steam as she hesitantly steps in. She honestly isn't sure what to expect.

And, of course, in another one of Korra's most awkward moments, Asami walks through the door and gasps lightly. Korra tries to hide in the awful shower. It does not go well, but she does have the presence of mind to bend the water as a makeshift robe. Sheer, but better than nothing.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..." Asami looks mortified. "Is it some kind of water sector tradition? I mean, usually we lock the doors, but I don't mean to intrude or offend..."

Korra does not point out that Asami's emphasis on _we_ lock the doors would be offensive to people who cared more than Korra. Fire sector people are rich, but they aren't that smart. Water sector makes clever citizens.

"Can you, uh, point out what the soaps are?" Korra asks, pointing at the oddly shaped containers stacked on the blue tiles.

"I only know shampoo and conditioner," Asami says, and Korra cannot tell if her tiny blush is from conversation or how hot the bathroom is.

"I figured." Korra laughs and Asami awkwardly contributes. The silence is twice as uncomfortable as the conversation and so Korra blurts out, "You have the best hair I've seen ever. It's so soft and silky and shiny."

Korra contemplates touching it before realizing how awful that would be when they both are nearly in a shower together.

"There you go," Asami whispers before handing Korra the shampoo and fleeing the humiliating situation.

Korra struggles with the knobs for a moment, even though she has the soap pretty figured out. It takes Korra a good five minutes to find _normal_ heat, and after rubbing minty scented stuff all over herself, she at last is clean.

She steps out after finding clothes to wear; her tribute uniform. Asami is in the hallway already, looking _great_ in her own clothes. She seems to have done something to make it more fitted, and Korra tries to subtly figure it out on her own, but Asami turns to look at her and she quickly stops and acts natural.

"To breakfast, I guess?" Asami suggests. Gladly, Korra nods as they both head down the stairs and towards the large kitchen with the wide window.

"Good morning, ladies," Ty Lee says blithely with a bright, disturbingly white grin. She is sitting, already perfectly made-up, braided and covered in pink, at the breakfast table. Azula and Hama are nowhere to be found, and Asami and Korra exchange a glance before sitting by their escort.

"Hi, Ty Lee," Asami says kindly and Korra studies her for a moment.

She cannot hide a frown at Asami striking up polite conversation with Ty Lee. Korra hates how beautiful and friendly Asami is, because it just makes the idea of watching her die all the harder. Not to mention the fact that Korra might kind of owe Asami her life after what happened a few years ago. The idea of trying to detach and dislike her is getting more and more difficult.

The thing is, Korra does not know Asami, necessarily. But she is beginning to think that she would _like_ to know her, and that's unfortunate.

She scratches her eyebrow and tries not to think about it.

[X]

After breakfast, Korra brushes her teeth and ties back her hair into two wolf tails in preparation for her first day of training. Her thoughts are fixated on breakfast, and also swimming with the thought of Asami, and that one day they interacted before they parted ways again. And maybe the shower situation.

Asami makes a few comments that don't reference the shower at all, and Korra feels a wave of approval wash over her. She can't help but smile.

And then worry. Getting attached to someone who has to die for Korra to live is just foolish.

After Korra and Asami clean up and take a stomach twisting elevator ride, Korra walks into the Training Center for the first time, Asami beside her. Both of their faces shift and contort in awe at the set-up. It is impressive, to say the least. All of the stations are so _big_ and so _high tech_ , even Asami, who has grown up surrounded by technology, is stunned by these things.

"And I thought the shower was fancy," Korra whispers in Asami's ear and the heiress smirks.

"Yeah. I've never even seen stuff like this and I, well, _make stuff_ like this," Asami replies excitedly as they at last are allowed to walk onto the floor surrounded by the flashing machines and riveting stations.

It almost makes the training for a bloody, gruesome death look like a fun day at the arcade. Korra is not sure if she should hate that or be relieved that she can delay acknowledging her fate with a few more days of pretending.

As soon as Asami and Korra arrive inside, they see the other tributes gathered in a circle, and quickly each have a cloth number _2_ stuck onto her back. They take short, deep breathes and avoid each other's gaze before walking to join the other tributes, noticing how their eyes so quickly shift to Asami and stare at her for far too long.

Asami should have expected the attention to fall on her like this. But she cannot say that she likes it. She was always stared at in District 2 because of her history with the Harmony Games, and her father's fame, and so she imagined it would be emphasized here. But that still did not quite prepare her for just how varied and intense the stares are.

The rules are laid out by a brusque muscular woman in a plain and simple fashion: experts at each station, no fighting each other. The circle quickly disperses, and it seems that the other duos already seemed to know where they wanted to go. Korra and Asami, however, are much more aimless at first.

"Want to go play with the weapons?" Korra asks eagerly as a shiny Water Tribute trident attracts her attention. She may have her bending, but she _does_ distinctly remember Sokka's games, when he was given one of _those_ by a sponsor and showed what an excellent fighter he was, after getting low scores from the gamemakers.

Asami studies them, and how the Career Tributes seem completely focused on the combat section of the training center. Her eyes flicker over to the plants, the knots, the traps. And she rubs her lips together.

"Actually..." Asami contemplates her choice for a moment, and then looks over at the weapons, not finding a single one that she thinks she could even _lift_. "Actually, I was thinking we could split up."

Korra blushes, as if Asami has said something that embarrassed her. But before the heiress can apologize or ask what she said, Korra is gone, heading over to play with her new trident and examining the wide array of swords.

They do not bump into each other again for the rest of the day.

[X]

Meanwhile, Azula pretends not to be nervous as she walks into the Viewer's Lounge for the first time. Ty Lee walks beside her with Hama making her own, slower way inside. The two of them have seen this stunning secret portion of the Tribute Center multiple times, but Azula is stunned by what she walks in on.

The victors inside are all ones that Azula recognizes, and a swift scan of the room shows her compartments with a live feed of the Harmony Games, as well as a table of food and so many pretty fixtures and furniture.

"Ooo, this year's decorations are great. I _love_ the pure white," Ty Lee whispers brightly through her mauve smile.

Azula does notice that. Every surface and decoration is a shade of white or light grey. The boards of odds are the brightest hue, which is exacerbated by the fact that they are currently blank.

She focuses on the inhabitants as Ty Lee taps on a crystal bowl with smooth, manmade stones inside of it. Azula sees Mai's former mentor from District 9; Zuko, the boy whose face was badly scarred in his triumphant finale but not cleaned up by the gamemakers. It probably had a purpose, but Azula ignores that.

Beside him is that quaint couple from District 8. The boy is chatting the girl up even though they have been together for some time. She is air, he is earth and Azula wonders briefly if they always mentor together. It would be awfully romantic, albeit unlikely.

Opal, is the air girl's name. Bolin, the boy. They seem almost innocent as they laugh and talk, but Azula knows if she walked close enough she would see the invisible scars making an appearance through their eyes.

District 4, a middle aged woman named Kya, and the victor from two games ago, Yue. Kya looks down to earth and careless every time Azula sees her make a public appearance, and she is no different in person. Yue, however, is reserved and demure.

District 5 has a much more popular couple than Opal and Bolin. Sokka and Suki, who are sickening on every level to Azula. They won back to back games and then got married.

Katara. District 3. Beautiful sex symbol who lingers around Mai enough for Azula to have the displeasure of knowing her. She and Zuko are some kind of deplorable dream team of dreamy teens.

Then again, there is a _point_ to Katara's desirability. Azula would be lying if she said she were not at all attracted to the waterbender who had so often come to the Presidential Palace for the parties. District Three won with unsurprising frequency.

In fact, Azula notices as her eyes fall on the rapport of interchangeable victors that all of these people _are_ a tight knit group of friends. Azula is on the outskirts, given that she has met only one or two victors in person. She and her slight Capitol accent, she and her intense golden eyeliner, she and her lack of social skills beyond parties... do not fit in.

Azula looks around, glancing, feeling her pulse quicken. She needs to find _someone_ who she knows, _someone_ to latch onto, but she does not know anyone here. All she can think of is how, after she won, she was called to see President Shinohai.

 _"Your mother told me she miscarried," he says before she even has a chance to take off her new crown. Pause. "Evidently she lied."_

No one bothers approaching her, and so she finds a seat and a glass of cerulean tinted liquor that takes like candy to cover up the boozey bitterness. She has spoken to many people, greeted fans and conversed with the most important names in the Capitol, but she can see the glances that brand her as the _enemy_.

Azula's venomous attention is centered on Ty Lee, who has been talking with every escort, Capitol VIP and most victors. One by one, all so _charmed_ by the shallow waste of pink fabric. Ugh.

"Hi," says a voice to Azula and she is stunned. "I'm Opal. You probably know, though, of course."

The girl who takes a seat beside Azula's lonely table is evidently doing it out of pity. But Azula is getting queasy about her situation. Opal is beautiful, beautiful mint eyes and clear skin, and a warm smile that is not dampened. Up close she is as stunning as from afar.

Azula tries to remember her Harmony Games and cannot, no matter how hard she tries to force her mind to recall the events, or how Opal won, or what element she is an expert in. Bolin she remembers slightly better, but they are a career district whose victors all blend together.

"It's nice to meet you," Azula says softly, as she tries not to stare.

"I've never seen you at one of these," Opal remarks, her curious gaze fixated on Azula.

"It's my first year mentoring," Azula admits flatly and Opal slowly nods. _Spirits_ Azula wishes she had something better to say. Her silver tongue has abandoned her already.

"Your sister, isn't it?" Opal says and Azula's eyes flicker in surprise. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No... no. I just didn't know people knew," Azula says breathlessly, wondering if they all are so aware that Azula's younger half-sister is one of this year's tributes.

"We all kind of do. The victors are worse than a sewing circle," Opal replies with a small attempt at a comforting smile. Azula nods once. "I hope it works out for you. I really do."

"Do you have family?" Azula asks and Opal's lips seal in discomfort. _Wonderful_ , Azula has just committed some faux pas and she had no idea. This is going to be a minefield, isn't it?

"I did. A _lot_ of siblings. So many it's a wonder I kept them straight. But they're... gone," Opal admits, forcing herself to swallow.

Azula blinks once. Killed, of course. Killed in order to control her, killed like Mai's entire family was when she tried to deny the proposal for marriage. Killed like Azula's mother was, poisoned with nightlock for some kind of sweet irony. Killed like Asami will be, because Azula thought she was invincible.

"I'm... sorry." Perhaps not the most genuine apology. "I think we've all felt that." Definitely not the most compassionate response.

Opal then looks over her shoulder at Bolin waving wildly at her. The pink flush on her cheeks is not that of embarrassment, but love, and Azula does not mind it when she makes a petty excuse and runs off to him.

No one else approaches Azula for the rest of the morning.

* * *

 _Briefly after her Victory Tour, Azula wakes up screaming for the fifth night in the row. It is the same nightmare again and again and again. Her District Partner being slaughtered, begging for her help. She has gotten out of her strange, plush bed that engulfs her slender body, and walked to the bathroom._

 _She turns on the sink, but that just worsens it. The sweat is dreadful, but the water seems like the worse of two evils. She tries frantically to reassure herself that this is real. But when she looks up, her face is stained dark red. The faucet runs with pure, dark blood, thick and metallic, even though she turned it off. Azula can smell it, can feel it on her face._

 _She will never ever be clean again._

 _The door swings open and Azula turns, her heart pounding. When she looks back into the mirror, the blood is gone from her face. She exhales a smooth sigh of relief. Azula hates mirrors, and she thinks she will for as long as she lives._

 _"I heard you screaming," says Mai, closing them both in without invitation. "It's okay. I promise."_

 _Azula has tried to keep her mask of the heroine and celebrity on for too long. It breaks and severs tonight._

 _"Will it get better?" Azula whispers as she looks at the only person she knows who can understand what she suffered through._

 _"No," Mai says honestly. "No. It never does."_

* * *

Azula remains isolated as she removes herself from the public eye and sits in a compartment watching Asami and Korra's training sessions. She is devastatingly bored until, suddenly, someone is beside her. The smell of sharp perfume is comforting right now; Azula has one friend, who _must_ be on the outskirts as much as her.

Azula _hopes_ that they all view Mai as a traitor too.

"How did you get here?" Azula inquires smoothly and Mai stares at her for a moment.

"Well, first I took a car. Then I went up the elevator. And now I'm here. I was thinking that I might visit some old friends, and I figured you were probably having a hard time fitting in on your first day." Mai says without a trace of remorse. Azula is silent. "Are you not having an easy time getting along with the other kids? It's okay, my five-year-old has trouble on group playdates too."

Azula opens her lips to snarl a clever insult, but Katara shouts, "Mai!" excitedly and Azula has the sudden urge to burn down the _entire_ Tribute Center.

"Why do they even want to see you?" Azula hisses but goes unheard as Katara grabs the _traitor First Lady_ and nearly tackles her as she lands a messy kiss on Mai's cheek.

Azula looks back up at the screens and studies her tributes, attempting to look very focused so that she does not have to face Mai, Zuko and Katara being so _quaint and friendly_. Asami is being sized up in a positive way by the careers. Korra... not so much.

Someone knocks gently on the door and Azula sighs loudly to let the intruder know it's unlocked.

"You okay?" asks Ty Lee Yanxian more sweetly than the blue cocktails.

"Of course. I am simply waiting for the Games to begin and to be able to talk to sponsors and important Capitol figures instead of these washed up pretend celebrities." Azula smiles haughtily and gazes again at the dull events in the training center.

"I saw you were alone and I... Well, the other escorts are pretty boring," Ty Lee explains, flashing a confident grin and sitting down beside the victor.

"They look more your type than me," Azula says lightly as she stares at the other dressed up Capitol women. All women, for some reason.

Ty Lee shrugs. "You seem like actual interesting company."

"Why?" Azula inquires bluntly. While her voice may be pretty and fluid, her tone radiates the lack of desire to speak with her escort.

However, Ty Lee has no desire to give up.

"Cos you're smart and pretty," Ty Lee gushes, attempting to start a conversation with her trademark flattery, but Azula remains unimpressed.

"Such a _detailed_ compliment," Azula purrs, rolling her eyes when Ty Lee is looking.

"It must be interesting, being caught between worlds. Are you Capitol or from the Districts?" Ty Lee suggests and Azula briefly wonders how such an _airhead_ could have developed a taste for very serious topics.

"Neither," Azula says with a small, curt nod. She had hoped that would end the conversation, but, evidently, it did not.

"I hope one of them wins," Ty Lee says quickly, trying again. Azula gives her yet another annoyed stare, as if this is an _inconvenience_ to her. Ty Lee wants to snarl at her, but she keeps her attitude positive and saccharine. Someone needs to be an optimist in this dismal place.

"So do I. But the odds are always slim." Azula snaps as she watches Korra fumble with a bone sword that is too heavy even for her built muscles.

Ty Lee hesitates, wetting her lips with her tongue. "Maybe we can pull through this year."

It hurts so much, drawing the names. It aches for months and months for Ty Lee to know that she takes children to their deaths, guiding them and acting as if it is just a fun adventure and not something so barbaric. But Ty Lee will never voice that, particularly not to Azula, whom may lean more towards President Shinohai than the people involved in the games.

She is an enigma, and one that Ty Lee sincerely hopes to figure out by the time the Harmony Games are through.

Azula, however, seems painfully disinterested in Ty Lee.

Ty Lee wonders if maybe she has suffered the fate of most victors, but the idea of her own father prostituting her out is too disturbing for Ty Lee to think about.

She likes to imagine that Azula has been lucky.

Then again, Ty Lee likes to imagine that all of the victors are lucky, and that, if her tributes win, they will get their happily ever after. Even if she does, at her core, know that their lives will likely not improve as much as everyone claims.

The escort who came before her was fired because of her descent into alcoholism and self-loathing. Ty Lee does not know what happened to her, but she was so eager to take the job, only three years ago. But after only three years, she feels hollow behind her pink lipstick and winning white smile.

Nobody wins in the making of the Harmony Games, even the people fortunate enough not to be sent into an arena.

[X]

Asami gravitates away from the plant station after realizing she is utterly terrible at it. The gamemakers, sitting up on their balcony, looking out with refreshments in hand, keep looking at her, and she thinks she is already making a bad impression.

She winds up learning how to make snares, which her quick thoughts, ingenuity and fast fingers lend themselves to. And Asami is alone there, thankfully, with the expert, and they have a nice conversation that eases Asami's nerves as she works.

Their first lunch is called, and Asami follows the rest of the crowd into the sleek, grey room they have. There is food from every district at the tables, laid out, buffet style. The way the kids from the poorer districts look at it makes Asami feel hollow and guilty about how privileged her life has been.

"Hey, Asami," says a male voice Asami recognizes. It is the fire tribute from District 1. At his side is his district partner, and the twin tributes from District 3.

"Yeah?" Asami replies loudly, glancing around wildly and wondering why one of the Careers is talking to her. She realizes she probably looks like a fool, being so stunned in front of all of the other tributes.

"Come sit with us," Kuvira offers and Asami smiles weakly again, frozen in place. Mako and Kuvira exchange a glance and laugh at Asami. "You're cute, Asami. Now _come sit with us_."

And Asami quickly realizes that Kuvira is not asking; she is telling. If Asami were to disobey, she is fairly certain she will be the main target of the Career Pack in the Games, which is not a position Asami would wish on her worst enemy.

"I'd love to," Asami says, shuffling after them, even though she sees Korra sitting alone out of the corner of her eye. But Asami bucks up, knowing that this is about survival and not friendship, and she follows the quartet of careers towards their table.

"I'm Mako. This is Kuvira. And this is Desna and Eska," the District 1 boy says and Asami smiles at him, wondering what could have possibly gained their attention.

Asami has not exactly been the most promising tribute in her training sessions. Korra, on the other hand, has been the ultimate show-off, and the gamemakers consistently have been nodding at her. It is possible that Asami has been studying Korra from afar while hiding at the survival stations and trying to avoid showing the fact that she has no idea how to fight.

"So, uh, why did you invite me to lunch?" Asami asks as she fumbles around the buffet of food looking for something familiar. It seems that they have traditional dishes and delicacies from all of the districts. Of course, Asami is smart enough to avoid the sea prunes.

"We want to form an alliance," Mako explains as he sits a little too close to Asami.

"Why?" Asami asks, befuddled by the very thought.

"Your mom won the Harmony Games once," Kuvira says plainly, not one to sugar coat her plans, despite Mako looking so uncomfortable. "That's why we want you. So did your sister. There's no way people won't be rooting for you."

Asami looks concerned for a moment as she shoots Korra a glance, a plea for help. But Asami supposes she has agreed to ally with the careers, and she knows it cannot be a _bad_ move.

"Yeah. I'm not, well, my mother or sister really," Asami admits, picking at her forehead and hoping those aren't the wrong words.

"Well of course that's what we want," Kuvira says matter-of-factly and Asami conceals her relief. "If you were playing the same game, it would be _really_ boring. No one would sponsor _that_. I mean, maybe some nods. Can you bend lightning?"

"I can't... bend at all." Asami turns up her palms as her ivory skin reddens.

"Oh, but the blue fire during the parade was yours?" Kuvira inquires.

"Nope. Can't bend," Asami says weakly, attempting a laugh and failing.

"Not many people care about the fire," is the first thing Mako says, his thoughts fixed firmly on the kiss that no one has stopped talking about. Then again, it would not have made as much of a splash without the _Girl on Fire_ reenactment.

"My mom won with poison. And, I know next to nothing about that. I spent some time at the plant station, though. Azula played weak and then came strong; if I'm allying with the toughest careers, I can't quite do that."

"You make your own game, Asami," Mako says warmly and her eyes light up. "We believe in you, or else we wouldn't have approached you."

Asami meets his earnest gaze, and then his partner's, and thinks perhaps she should just accept this offer.

"Thank you." Asami quickly shoves spiced bread into her mouth.

[X]

Four days of training have passed when Korra sees Asami at one of the survival stations, again avoiding anything aggressive. Asami is figuring out how to clean water without iodine, and has been making a bright red light that means _dysentery_ flash repeatedly, much to her chagrin.

While Korra does not think she would do any better at all, she does scuffle up to her District Partner.

"Need a study buddy?" Korra asks and Asami glances over her shoulder. Mako and Kuvira are sparring with blades, dripping with sweat and not at all noticing Asami's existence.

"I'd love that," Asami says warmly, and Korra scratches her head as she tries to figure this damned thing out. "Have you already conquered every single weapon and combat skill? It looked like it from over here."

"Something like that," Korra replies shamelessly with a pointed flex of her muscles. Asami tries to hide her expression of sudden fear. Even if most of the tributes are underfed, save for the Careers, they all have several pounds and inches on Asami. Korra seems to be the strongest one here, with the body type best suited for fighting... and killing.

Asami supposes she is just glad that Korra is on her good side. _And_ that the Career Pack offered to ally with her and not her partner.

"I've finally figured this one out," Asami says and then she sets down the water on the test plate. It emits an angry red flash and buzzes. "Uh... sort of."

She sweeps her bangs out of her eyes and smiles faintly.

Korra scratches her head and squints at the instructions. "I don't think I'd do any better."

Asami's eyes wander as Korra studies the handbook, and they rest on the little airbender from District 7. The heiress has seen her around multiple times in the past week of training, but only now does she realize that the girl's eyes are perpetually on Korra.

"You have a shadow, Korra," Asami points out with a small laugh.

Korra looks at Asami as if she is insane before glancing over her shoulder and seeing the young airbending girl from District 7. Her district partner has succeeded in terrifying absolutely everyone present, but this one has just wriggled through the eye of scrutiny with her small size and silly hair.

Asami cocks an eyebrow and Korra turns to smile at the girl.

"Hey!" Korra says loudly, waving, and the girl jumps, drifting slightly on the cold, recycled air of the Training Center. "Sorry, uh, _hey_ ," Korra whispers. "What's your name?"

Pause. Silence. The girl studies her quietly.

"Ikki." And then she dashes away as if the wind carries her.

"Well, I have no clue why I'd have a shadow," Korra admits, shrugging.

 _Because you're different,_ Asami thinks, but she just shrugs and makes a small sound of assent.

[X]

At dinner, Korra grabs every weird food she can while Asami looks like she is studying her plate for a test. Korra _does_ like the turkey-wrapped-bacon.

Ty Lee tries to spark a better conversation by targeting the two tributes. "I loved your introduction, and you've been _all_ that the news has talked about. And, I don't mean to brag of course, but I know _anyone_ who is _anyone_ in the Capitol, and I've been talking you two up all I can." Her eyes sparkle like a proud poodle-monkey, and Asami and Korra halfheartedly smile.

Before either can thank her, or think of what the proper response is, the room shifts to accommodate to the presence of the two mentors. They both sit down, Hama and Azula mostly neglecting their food.

The breakfast is somehow even _more_ awkward now.

"We're intending on coaching you two separately," Azula at last declares, and Asami expected it. Even if Azula has barely looked her into the eyes, much less _acknowledged_ her, she did know she would be trying to help her win.

"Why?" Korra asks, not understanding.

"It happens usually when someone has a special skill that they don't want their District Partner to know about," Hama says fluidly, thinking quite fondly of her own. Of her own proprietary style of bending that won her the games by way of no one having thought of it before. "Or sometimes... when family is Reaped."

Which happens much more often than is probable.

"Well, I don't have any skills Asami doesn't know about," Korra explains with a shrug. "I'm a good waterbender. I've won some pro-bending."

"And I can rewire circuit boards," Asami says with a hollow laugh. Korra knits her brow and wonders if she should not have said what she just did. "That's going to do me a lot of good out there."

"You'd be surprised," Hama says to Asami honestly.

"I'm not. I'm not surprised because I have no chance of winning," Asami says crisply, her kind demeanor long gone. She was Reaped in order to kill her. She was raised under the impression that she would never face the arena. "I don't have any delusions about being able to win."

Azula clenches her jaw and the breakfast continues in uncomfortable silence.

They all are relieved by Ty Lee's chatter at breakfast that Hama contributes to without hesitation. And when it is at last over, Korra gazes at Asami for too long. Asami wishes she could ignore that.

"Do you..." Korra wrings her hands. "Do you _really_ think you can't win? Because I think you could."

Asami looks Korra up and down. "But if I win, you don't."

Korra shrugs. Asami averts her eyes.

"I think you're pretty awesome and you can do it," Korra says confidently, crossing her arms over her chest.

Wisely, Asami changes the subject.

"I grew up thinking that bad things only happen to other people. That they never happen to me. And I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Asami closes her eyes as Korra makes a discomfited expression. "We're going to be late for training."

She strides away, her shoulders quickly rising and falling, and disappears into her bedroom.

[X]

A few blocks away from the Tribute Center, Azula kneels beside a tiny toddler girl. She is in a home that smells fresh and modern but with an antique rose incense that conflicts the senses. The decor is equally mismatched, but Azula is used to her home by now.

"What are you doing, Mimi? Drawing?" Azula should not have to ask that, given that Mimi has covered the priceless table on crayons and is scrubbing one of them on white paper.

"Mhm," Mimi murmurs as she continues shading in the sky. The sky is sunset orange, with crude streaks of flamingo-hawk pink.

Azula never had the patience to color in an entire page. Drawing was not a natural talent of hers that she could hone, and therefore was a waste of her time.

"Did you see the opening ceremony?" Twice as awkward.

"Mhm." Mimi sets down her orange crayon and rubs her sore hand. "They looked pretty."

"They did," Azula says softly before the door to Ozai's office opens.

She looks up and pushes herself to a standing position, walking into her father's office.

"That was very impressive," says the president and Azula nods. "Was the kiss your idea?"

Azula hesitates briefly before replying, "Yes."

He does not respond to that, and steps back slightly, prompting her to walk with him to his office in silence. Her hands are dry and feel strange, and her head hurts. She wants to lie down, but she sits down across from him in an office that smells like incense and ink, and leans back.

"I have no desire to discuss your tributes. They won't be of interest to me until I see their scores and interviews," Ozai says and Azula knows he is saying that because he wants to divert attention from the fact that he is most definitely spying on them. "Speaking of interviews, you have one this evening before the scores are announced."

"That's short notice," Azula remarks before again regretting her dominant tone.

"I'm aware," he comments, tapping a pen on his... mahogany desk. Azula begins to snort with laughter, but covers it with a cough and clearing of her throat. "I was planning on saving you for later, but that _kiss_ between your tributes has certainly sparked a lot of attention."

It does not disturb him and so she hopes it was the right thing to say.

"I am thrilled to be able to honor the Harmony Games tonight." Azula gives him a caring, admiring smile, and stands.

She walks outside and sees what Mimi was drawing. It is Korra and Asami. Azula bites her lip and wants to snatch the picture away, but she decides against it as she strides out of the door and into the limousine.

[X]

As Azula walks out of the rain and into the tribute center, stripping off her shoes and coat, she is greeted by the only awake soul; their escort.

"You were out late. Usually the mentors aren't allowed to leave," Ty Lee says as she mutes the television. She is watching Varrick go on and on about the victors and a few highlights of the past of the tributes this year. They all are extremely cherry-picked to shield the eyes of the Capitol from the districts.

Azula can see that the picture of Asami and Korra's kiss is in the background. Maybe those kids are smarter than she thought.

"Usually the mentors aren't the president's bastard daughter." Azula sits down beside her, startling Ty Lee.

"Mm," the escort replies quietly, unsure what else to say.

They sit there together in silence after that, watching the muted television.


	3. Book 1: Radioactive

**Chapter Three  
Radioactive**

 _Though lovers be lost, love shall not; And death shall have no dominion.  
-Dylan Thomas-_

* * *

 ** _The 65th Harmony Games, Ending Interview_**

 _Varrick raises both of his eyebrows in bright excitement as the stunning victor steps onto the stage._

 _She looks beautiful, beyond beautiful, with her pale red dress hugging her body tightly, a body that had been ravaged in the arena, but smoothed and decorated as she recovered. Implants in her breasts, malnourishment as covered up as possible, the physical scars removed, but the external ones remained._

 _"It's our Victor from District 9," Varrick declares in a loud voice and the crowd applauds, foaming at the mouths to see the victor so up close and personal._

 _Mai walks out as her escort jabs her several times in the back, and she sits down on the chair that should be comfortable, but most certainly is not. Everything feels strange and awkward, different from when she entered the arena._

 _Maybe she is dead and this is the fucked up afterlife._

 _Her dead expression and the way she speaks about the games in a cold, chilled monotone is different from the witty, sarcastic and careless girl he first interviewed. She was liked by some, despised by some, a real controversial character because of her Koh-may-care attitude towards the games. Now she is unsettling instead of uncomfortable._

 _"Let's talk about that first move of yours," Varrick says before flashing a grin he must think is sexy at the crowd. His posture is as loose and crooked as his tone."You so narrowly escaped the bloodbath with those knives; and you lost them! Were you scared?"_

 _"No. I thought it might be my time," Mai says flatly and Varrick's stomach squirms at how difficult it is to vibe off of her. "I thought I would die until the last cannon went off. And I didn't care, as long as I went down fighting. The avalanche was luck."_

 _Varrick, despite the audience's eyes sparkling in hopes of discussion, gulps and changes the subject._

 _"So, you said you would win for your brother and you followed through like a champ."_

 _"Yeah." Mai wants to shrug, but her chest feels constricted, as if her ribs are collapsing onto herself. She was not supposed to do anything she did in that arena. "I did everything I could to win, and I think I just wanted to go home so much..."_

 _"Dipping the arrows in poison was genius. Truly genius," Varrick says excitedly and Mai actually thinks he sounds like even more of a lunatic after the games._

 _And she thought he was relatively mad before then too._

 _"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Mai says coldly and the crowd is clearly uneasy._

 _"And when you heard those cannons...?" Varrick inquires, leaning forward and trying to build tension around Mai despite her refusal to even show emotion in her eyes._

 _She was sarcastic and witty in the first interview... now she is... corpselike._

 _"I..." The first expression one wouldn't see on a porcelain doll crosses her face. "I did what I had to do to win. Like I said."_

 _That is what Zuko told her to say. The minute she woke up, uncomfortable in her body, uncertain if it even was real, he explained to her that the stunt she pulled in the arena was going to get people killed. She doesn't want to talk about it anyway, and she can tell from Varrick's flaking waterproof makeup that he is too nervous to discuss what the ignorant viewers loved the most about her victory._

 _"And after that... horrid incident that..." Varrick's confident expression flickers, something Mai assumes will be cut from the broadcast. "You...?"_

 _"I don't know. It was over. Nothing more than that, " Mai says coldly before staring at the camera. She does not smile, and she can see her escort frantically making faces at her. Mai sighs, trying to put on the persona of the remarkably unlikeable girl who everyone wound up rooting for. The girl who volunteered for her little brother. "At least I didn't make any new friends."_

 _The laughter is far louder than it should be, and Mai chalks it up to their discomfort. She wants them to be uncomfortable. She wants them to know how sick they are for enjoying the games. Varrick carefully avoids the deaths Mai saw, and instead rambles a while longer about her magnificent hair while she was in the arena, and her clever methods of getting fresh water._

 _Mai looks at her feet as the screen plays the images of her knives colliding with throats, blood spurting out as the targets coughed and spluttered in horror._

 _"Any last thoughts about this prize?" Varrick asks. He seems to find his script easier than hers._

 _And so Mai improvises. "Yeah. Victory is boring."_

 _Everyone laughs but she and her mentor._

 _"It has been my pleasure," Varrick says, extending his hand. Mai shakes it weakly before pulling away. "Now, I'm sure you'd like to go to your own party! Let's all give another round of applause for this year's winner!"_

 _The applause is a joke. And like all jokes, Mai does not think it is funny._

* * *

There is exactly one thing that Azula, her mother and Mai have in common.

They were threats to the balance that the Capitol enforces.

In each of their games, little things happened that could quickly escalate into nightmares for President Shinohai. Azula thinks that there must have been more before them, but they did not respond to this particular, experimental method.

Azula knows the events, knows the sparks once she is told how to find them. Her own Games were troubling because she had figured them out, and she did and said things that she did not intend to threaten wildfires. Her lightning and blue fire made her an icon that could not be killed or truly threatened; she is the most beloved victor there ever was and, therefore, she was untouchable. She was clever, manipulative, charming and invincible against President Shinohai's threats.

Mai was the worst. She volunteered in place of her little brother, which instantly caught the eye of the public.

But it was in the games that her defiance was not tolerated. How she played them was the opposite of how they were meant to be played, and right there on the television screens was a young woman making a mockery of the Capitol with every move.

She tricked the arena; she figured out how to trigger the traps set by the gamemakers and used them against the other tributes, and mutts too. During the finale, she was outmatched by the careers and ran to the mountain and set off one of the saved natural disasters and unleashed it. She created an avalanche that killed everyone but her.

Seeing a tiny thirteen year old outsmarting not only the other tributes but the Capitol as well was horrifying to the politicians. She showed that a scrawny girl from District 9-the poorest of them all-could defy the Capitol and beat them at their own game. Not to mention her careless tongue and reckless disregard for decency. A person could get executed for whispering what Mai said in their home, much less saying it on live television.

She didn't get herself killed. He just killed everyone she cared about. Mother, father, brother. Brother was the one that broke her and made her give in; it was all pointless in the end.

The same basic principle applied to Yusa. Azula never saw her games and, to be honest, she never has had the desire to do so. It was the second Quarter Quell, so it should have been replayed on television at least once or twice. However, the Capitol never showed it. Perhaps Asami has seen it, but Azula does not want to strengthen the family bonds unless she is using them to get Asami every last copper piece from the sponsors.

Azula knows only the theme: To remind us of the inequity that came with divided elements, the arena would have no supplies save for those delivered by sponsors. It gave benders an immediate edge, and the careers were blatantly favored.

Yusa was one of the unlucky ones. She had very little going for her: no bending, no combat skills, no sponsors, and no alliance. Yet, she was resourceful and clever, which overrode the narrative. The Capitol was supposed to have all of the power, but Yusa was one girl who stood against it all.

Maybe Azula would have admired her if the circumstances were different. She knows very little about those Games. The recaps stopped years ago but probably will resurface - heavily edited - next year before the Third Quarter Quell. No way would her mother ever talk about it.

Yet, whatever Yusa did was enough to get tortured by the Capitol and her own nightmares until she snapped and killed herself.

And Azula...

Azula was the Girl on Fire. She has been the Capitol favorite since her Harmony Games. Ozai considered her to be a threat to national security and claimed her as his daughter at last. He _was_ her father, and he must have known at least from the moment she volunteered. She knows her Games were memorable for some very bad reasons, but he is her father and she never had one of those.

When she met him and he accepted her as his, she had never felt so at home. She was born to be President Azula Shinohai one day, not some victor's daughter stuck in District 2.

But Azula does not know what to make of her current situation. She just knows that refusing the job as _gamemaker_ was enough to warrant Asami's reaping. Azula ran away, Azula told him just what she thought about his abandonment of her. Now she is subject to a kind of wrath that Azula heard about but never understood.

"Miss Shinohai," sweetly says the stylist dressed in blindingly neon green. She looks like swamp water that had a chemical spill in it... which someone tried to pcover with lace and rhinestones.

Victors are to look... _normal_. Normal to the districts that is, save for tiny modifications, make-up, the airbrushing of what made them themselves. _'They represent you but are just like us,'_ it seems to say. Azula does not care.

"What?" the mentor snaps and the stylist frowns.

"You really should close your eyes."

Azula blinks, and then quickly holds her eyelids down because of the _hairspray_ directed at her.

[X]

The music is subpar this year, but the lighting is flattering enough and the audience seems pleased.

Azula lingers in the exquisitely redecorated yet perpetually boring wings leading to the set for Harmony Games related interviews. Propos tend to be made other places; Azula has been in more than most, and has been a victor for a mere four years.

At the moment, Katara is being interviewed and Azula wants to gag.

"Do you hate her?" asks someone and Azula spins around, the flames on her fist stopping at smoke.

" _Why_ would you sneak up on _someone_ like that?" Azula hisses as she looks at the District 2 escort, whom is _smiling_ and gigglingat the fistful of fire to the overly-sparkly face she almost got. Overconfidence. Ick.

"I'm bored, maybe." Ty Lee bats her eyelashes. Azula at first thinks they have tears on them, but then she realizes that they are very tiny diamonds. "But really, do you hate her?"

Azula crosses her arms. "Yes."

"Why?" Ty Lee asks as if it is shocking.

Okay, now the victor is reconsidering stopping short of that attack. "Because there are just some people you can't help but hate. Of course, you don't have any with your... I don't even know. Whatever kind of person you are. You probably bring cupcakes to work out of nowhere and always compliment people's shoes even when they're ugly."

Ty Lee opens her mouth to argue, but those observations are quite true. "I think she's kinda sexy," Ty Lee says and Azula cocks an eyebrow.

"Are you hitting on me by remarking on how _sexy_ my worst enemy is?" Azula asks, not sure if she should be impressed or disgusted.

"No. I just do. Everybody does." Yes, Ty Lee is _so caught_. But how else was she supposed to relay her bisexuality, huh?

"I think she just stays in the public eye so she can't..." Azula abruptly realizes what she is saying and glances away. "So she can't go out of _fashion_."

Ty Lee understood, however. _So she can't be killed off by Ozai._ Ty Lee wonders if Azula has any idea that everyone involved in the Games knows more than they would like to. That there are things that are _not_ to be spoken about, but cannot be missed by a young bright-eyed escort bringing cupcakes to her first day of work.

It murders the aura, reading the names of the children who will be murdered.

"Probably. You look nice," Ty Lee says blithely.

"I know," Azula replies as she toys with the cerulean fabric that glitters like the night sky. She used to wear red, before she became The Girl on Fire. She then smoothes it with her hands as she walks to go talk about her tributes.

No, she refuses to let the spotlight be on her, because Asami Sato is going to win the 74th Harmony Games if it is the last thing Azula does.

Azula does love the applause, if nothing else.

[X]

On the last day of Training, the tributes are called out one by one for their private observations by the gamemakers. To be given a score. More numbers to define them by, of course. And also, one of the defining factors in getting any sponsors.

As Korra and Asami sit in the sweaty room of nervous teens, Mako and Kuvira go one after the other, first in the line. They exit looking smug, and Asami feels her stomach twist. Mako smiles at her, but it is no consolation.

Asami is called in after Kuvira, and she takes several calming breaths before pushing open the door to the room. The heiress feels clueless as she looks at the weapons and targets that meet her gaze. The gamemakers are exceptionally attentive, both because of Asami's lineage, and because they must have just had a good show from their first two tributes out of sixteen.

None of these... none of these...

Slowly, Asami swivels on her heel and feels the anxiety pounding through her blood. Their eyes continue to bore into her as she tries to figure out how to do something. _Anything_. Anything to be remembered.

A gamemaker who looks particularly important clears his throat. "You have three minutes left."

Asami did not think that she was taking that long. Her eyes flicker to the water... which she still has not perfected after all of the time they gave her. If she had long enough, she might be able to build something brilliant, but none of the materials are clicking in her mind.

"Can you show us lightning?" asks the Head Gamemaker and Asami swallows.

She opens her mouth to say that she cannot bend, but then she sees the peacekeepers in the corner with their hands tense on their chi-blockers and gloves. The idea then hits Asami in the face and she wants to slap herself over how obvious it is.

"Yes, yes I can," Asami says quickly before striding across the room.

When Asami reaches the guards, the room is tense with the anticipation that she is going to attack. And with all knowledge of how easily she could die, Asami holds out her hand, gestures and after a nod from the gamemakers, the profusely sweating peacekeeper hands her his glove.

Asami walks back towards the center of the room, examining the glove as she does. It is on the usual, extremely low stun setting. The one Asami has on her drawer was a broken one that she saw had incredible potential for manipulation. She sincerely hopes she does not electrocute herself to death as she takes it apart and removes all of the safeties.

The room is alit with the bright lightning. Crackling around her. She reaches for a target, and it does not just burn, as Asami expected, it is crackling red, black and grey ash at her feet.

That was clearly not the lightning they were expecting.

Asami exits silently at the speed of lightning itself, barely remembering to drop the glove behind her before she reaches the door.

[X]

"You ─ _you what_?" Ty Lee shrieks and Azula grimaces.

"Stop listening to the rabbit-mouse being poked with needles, or whatever she is imitating right now. You what?" Azula asks and Ty Lee rolls her eyes when she thinks this year's mentor is not looking.

"They asked for me to show them lightning," Asami says primly. She clasps her hands on her lap and straightens her posture, like she always does when she is on the verge of a panic attack. "So I showed them lightning."

Azula closes her eyes and collapses onto the red and blue sofa with a defeated sigh. Asami tries to disappear into thin air and fails.

Loudly, _clomping_ , Korra walks in, Hama alongside her.

Korra had just shown off her waterbending, and speared a mannequin with a target. But she thinks that the gamemakers are still shaken up about something, and she hopes it is Asami and not one of those District 1 snobs Korra already hates from afar.

No one speaks of Asami _showing the gamemakers lightning_. They mutually agree it is for the best without a word being said. Condoning it could be devastating when overheard, but so could condemning it.

And after dinner, they sit at the television with their pulses pounding. Today, there is no footage of the kiss, or banter about different tributes. The red-haired girl from District 6 is talked about ceaselessly.

Asami and Azula were talking in hushed voices all through dinner about whatever Asami chose to do, and so Korra has been relaxing with Hama and trying not to show her fear. Korra is certain that her score will be high. High enough to make her desirable.

They are rated out of ten, of course, for the original ten districts.

Mako gets a seven and Kuvira gets an eight. Korra is next, and she is leaning on the edge of her seat with bated breath. A six... Korra clenches her jaw and grunts.

"It's a good thing," Hama says as she turns to an overly angry Korra. "A very good thing. I've noticed you haven't made too many friends in training. If you had a higher score than that, it would've painted a huge target on your back. And remember what I taught you; it will prove your worth in the arena, where it matters."

Korra does recall being taught to use the water in plants and her surroundings. And in the bodies of other tributes. It all made her shudder, but she is unafraid of using those skills when her life is on the line.

Asami is next.

Ten. Asami Sato of District 2 has a score of ten.

"That's so cool!" Korra shouts, shoving Asami's shoulder excitedly. "What were you even hiding?"

"A death wish," Azula says bitterly before walking away into her bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Asami thinks she might see her dessert again.

[X]

That night is a relief, due to the interviews. They do not have to talk at all about Asami and how badly she fucked up. She _knows_ it is good to get her involved with the careers, and she _knows_ it is going to make her odds skyrocket and gain her sponsors. But she also knows that she is now even more front and center than before... and that there is no way President Ozai Shinohai has not heard about what she did.

And if Asami is understanding her sister right, she thinks the president might be trying to kill her.

Asami paces in the same wings Azula had visited the previous evening. She is bouncing back answers to the questions Azula throws at her, and her sister is being _insanely mean_ after that lightning stunt. Asami, however, knows Azula is the only thing standing between her and a knife through the skull, and so she keeps quiet.

Korra is nowhere near ready for her interview, and Ty Lee desperately tries to coach her backstage. It is last minute, and pretty hopeless, to be honest.

Azula leans against the wall, dressed to the nines but not as dolled up as her mentee. Asami shuffles her feet uncomfortably, the blue heels pinching her feet so tightly that she wants to kick them into the wall.

"You remember what we planned?" Azula asks for the thousandth time and Asami wants to kick _her_ through the wall. She thinks she misses the _questions_.

"Yeah. But it's a waste of time. I don't know what it's even supposed to do to help anybody." Asami sighs.

"It's good television," Azula says in the tone of an empress. Asami is struck by memories again; she does not know why she forgot Azula bossing her around like that, when she was pint sized and powerless and without that Capitol accent and sexy dress.

"Yeah, because good television is going to help me stab seventeen people to death in order to survive." Asami glares at the floor, but her eyes get stuck on her new shoes.

"It _is_. Sponsors are a thousand times more important than skills, and you know that. Getting on the good side of the gamemakers means they aren't going to kill you off quickly if they need to cull a few tributes. Good television has made more victors than any weapons or muscles."

Asami frowns faintly, because she knows those words are true whether she likes it or not.

Before they can debate further, Kuvira is walking onto the stage, and Asami and Korra both stare at the screens. That girl can talk. Asami blanches by the second question and Korra is slack-jawed until Hama jabs her thumb into her back and makes her yelp and close her mouth.

Korra strides up first, barely keeping herself from tripping. Yeah, yeah, she has got this. She has _more than got this_!

"Aaaand from District 2..." Varrick drawls loudly.

Korra sits down. "Yeah. District 2 is where I'm from."

Okay, not the best intro, but she has _still more than got this_!

"You seem like one dangerous dame," Varrick remarks with a lopsided smirk. Korra shrugs openly at the audience. "Very confident!"

"Of course I am. I know I'm gonna win, and I'm not gonna deny it." She grins and turns her head slightly up to the light like Hama suggested.

And succeeds only in blinding herself for a moment. _Ouch._ It takes her a moment to adjust to the stage again and see Varrick clearly.

"So, Korra, I hear you grew up in a fishing town," he asks.

"Yup. My family fished for a living." Still got this! Still got this! She wipes her sweaty palms on her previously perfect dress.

Varrick sees her hands on the fabric and seizes the change in subject."You sure had a fantastic get-up during your entrance. What were your thoughts?"

"If all of the baby oil on me was going to light on fire," Korra says honestly. That one was kinda funny!

"Right right, yeah, of course." He leans back in his chair. "It must be a huge difference adjusting to the Capitol. What's the biggest change?"

Korra now is doing something right, because her expression shifts. Maybe it is out of the character she tried to build of a tough person, but it happens.

"I, uh, the buildings are wonderful. And the holoscreens I found in my room." Korra hesitates. "I never saw the ocean before. I just imagined it. It's nice."

The audience makes cooing noises as Korra's three minutes run out.

"Moving, moving speech," Varrick says brightly. "Another round of applause for our favorite bearcat from District 2!" Varrick smiles and finds his angle on the cameras as Korra flees, forgetting her plans to flex her muscles.

Asami waves feebly at Korra before she is ushered onto the stage.

Varrick rambles into the intro and Asami hits all of the marks. She is speaking a tad too quickly, but she is doing well. Azula stares, trying to be relieved.

Things shift when Varrick shifts the topic. "So, you were born in the Victor's Village. How does it size up to the Capitol?" Varrick asks.

Asami waits, taking a small breath. "The Capitol is much more glamorous." She looks out at the audience. "Just like its people. In District 2 there were some gorgeous ladies and handsome men, but in the Capitol I don't know where to begin; everyone is perfect." Hair flip. Perfectly timed hair flip and the applause drowns out her gasp of excitement at remembering what Azula said to do.

"But _you_ are one ritzy doll." Varrick grins. "Speaking of the beautiful citizens, that kiss was... _wow_ , I mean, you don't see that every day."

Asami laughs and then clears her throat. Her heart is now pounding because she thinks this is the opportunity to try to execute Azula's plan. The plan that Asami personally thinks is the worst she has _ever_ heard.

"I waited forever for my first kiss, but I never got such a great opportunity or such a great person to do it with." She is startled at how _earnest_ her tone is without focusing on the acting.

Varrick makes an odd sound and the audience seems... _swooning_. Asami did not think it would be that easy.

"Now, it didn't anger any ladies or gents back home?" Varrick asks, wiggling his eyebrows. They are too plucked, Asami notices before realizing her situation. "You must have somebody waiting for you to slap you for that kiss when you win."

Laughter. Asami looks dead serious now.

"I do kinda have somebody I like." She feels the lights warmer against her skin. Either she is heating up from nerves, or the cameras are trying to capture this moment. "But she won't be slapping me for that kiss."

"Ah, oh, so, I mean she's got some fella at home? That is the only way she couldn't resist you," Varrick says with a wink. "But you come home a victor and you never know who you can snag."

Asami sighs airily in a way that does not fit her _at all_. She is not the type of person to be lovestruck, much less know how to act like it.

"Winning won't help me in this case, Varrick." Asami offers a small, rouge smile. She finds the light this time and hopes the teardrop sparkles work. She looks down as she hopes her time is not running out too quickly. "Because she came here with me."

"Oh..." Varrick is almost speechless, but he recovers much more quickly than the crowd. Korra makes a strangled sound of horror and confusion from the wings.

"At least I got to kiss her." Asami smiles softly and knows she has them now. But she probably isn't doing herself any favors with Korra... or even herself. Lying was never quite Asami's strong suit.

Varrick smiles as he hears the small tone signaling the end of the interview.

"Well, best of luck to you and I think I speak for everyone in the United Republic when I say that our hearts are with you and your beau tomorrow."

Asami is guided away and everything other than Korra's gaping jaw and clenched fists are a blur.

[X]

It is the final night of Asami's life and she is incapable of wrapping her head around that fact.

Even if she lives by some insane stroke of luck, this is the last day of who she is and always has been, because the minute the countdown ends nothing will ever be the same. Asami knows that. Asami knows because she watched her mother waste away for years until the drugs and her own self-loathing consumed her. She knows because her older sister might as well be a stranger with the same face. She knows because the odds have never been in her favor since the day she was born.

She has not been able to talk to Korra about what she said, but that might be good, since Asami cannot tell the truth about why she said those things. She paces in her bedroom, rubbing the golden phoenix pin in her hand.

It probably cannot help her, but it reminds her of her mother. And it reminds her of the fact that her sister is a human who loves her very much, and that means Azula will probably try to save her.

Asami at last sits on her bed, and flips on the image of the ocean with a blanket wrapped around herself.

Korra watches it on her own screen, rapt and trying to forget what Asami said.

Neither of them know about the other.

[X]

It is the dead of the night after the interviews and the only light illuminating the room is the neon chrome of the sleepless city outside. The colors flash over Azula's silhouette, tinting her skin pink, green, blue, orange and violet in rapid bright bursts. Vaguely, it reminds her of staccato lightning in a silent cyclone.

Her pensive gaze is ceaseless until she is interrupted by the sound of high heels clicking against the floor.

"Hey," Ty Lee whispers, offering a sweet smile to Azula.

The victor doesn't look up, continuing to stare at the bottom of her glass and wonder where the extremely sugary blue drink went so quickly. She doesn't like liquor, to be honest, but it was served and she had no desire to deny it. Ty Lee can feel how out of place her hair is, and the small streak of lipstick on the edge of her mouth, but she is not thinking about that much.

"You look awful," Azula says coldly, glancing up for a split second.

Ty Lee's impeccable pink dress is in total disarray, and her make-up is melting. Azula does not care.

"I really hate the night before." Ty Lee shrugs and hopes that was not a stupid thing to say. It is true, but she does not think she can compare the twisting in her stomach to how it must be for the tributes, for the mentors...

Azula purses her lips and sees no point in confirming a universal opinion of people involved in the Harmony Games. And so she purrs, " Do you ever feel any guilt about grinning at the little kids you watch die every year?"

Ty Lee chews on her lip because there is no good answer tonight, alone beside her crush, in this heavily bugged dining room.

"I think one of them will win. I really, really do." _But I say that every year_ , she cannot help but think to herself.

"Your optimism sickens me. Have a drink." Azula gestures at the few remnants of the dinner that neither Korra nor Asami even touched. Desserts remain, not carried away like clockwork. The cute electric blue cocktails are adorable, and so Ty Lee seizes one.

"But really. Nobody has stopped talking about them at all. Varrick literally did not shut up for two seconds, and I think he ran out of material about them days ago." Ty Lee giggles and then makes a choking sound when Azula does not laugh with her. Ty Lee pouts like cute little Miss Teen Caldera. _Who she won several years in a row mind you_. "Korra is so strong and one of the cockiest people I've ever met. Even if she doesn't knock everybody out with her waterbending, I can see her just punching her way through the other tributes."

"My plan is not to save Korra, and I refuse to let her win," Azula murmurs.

"You didn't let me finish," Ty Lee whines softly.

Azula shrugs. "Your comments didn't seem important enough for me to hear the rest of."

Ty Lee clears her throat. "Asami is smart and knows what she's doing. That's worth way more than anything those other tributes have."

"Right." Azula does not think Ty Lee's assertions are intelligent or reliable.

Ty Lee grabs another of the candy-type drinks while Azula's hollow gaze does not end. And hoping to mask her forwardness with feigned intoxication, Ty Lee murmurs, "You were always my favorite tribute. That's why I wanted to be the District 2 escort."

Azula looks up this time, breaking her staring contest with the lemon scented floor.

"You signed up for the job of an escort because you liked me so much?" Azula scoffs into her drink, but her smirk is impossible to hide.

"I thought you were so attractive and amazing." Ty Lee's eyes glimmer. And she starts talking _much_ too quickly and shrilly. "Well, the whole Capitol did too, but when I saw you and your lightning and... Mhmh. It just gives me shivers, kind of. I liked..." Ty Lee trails off; she doubts a victor wants to talk about their games.

"You liked...?" Azula asks, making direct eye contact. She now has a deep interest in this cookie cutter escort. Ty Lee cannot brush her words off, and so she wriggles her hips to adjust her position on the table.

"I liked the things you said at the end. _The show must go on_ ," Ty Lee whispers. "Maybe you were delirious, but I think it was really chilling. It kinda... meant something, but I still don't know what."

Azula laughs halfheartedly. "I don't know what it meant either. I had lost a lot of blood, but I don't doubt that my speech was marvelous even while dying."

"It was pretty and perfect and scary in a good way and I wanted you to win from the beginning." Ty Lee's heart is now beating _way_ too fast.

Azula is silent for a moment before saying, "Continue to tell me about that very sexy face you just made when thinking about me and my lightning."

The Victor cocks a mocking eyebrow and Ty Lee rolls her eyes so forcefully she thinks they might pop out of her head. But Azula does not relent.

"Okay, I had a _huge_ crush on you for... for a couple years." Ty Lee blushes so fiercely that her _real_ face shows through all of the make-up. "It's... no, okay, this situation is not nice. But it's... I don't know."

"Hm." Azula shrugs. "So, you had some of those provocative posters, I assume? Maybe one of the collectable figurines? You recorded my interviews? Oh, shrine of me..."

Ty Lee gently punches Azula's shoulder and does not apologize, like most people would. Azula kind of likes that even though she shoots Ty Lee a cold, warning look.

"No. It was a schoolgirl crush," Ty Lee says softly as she finishes her drink and sets it down. Silence. "It kinda sucks we had to meet like this, but I guess I imagined we would."

Azula stares at Ty Lee for a moment and the Escort can tell that she has been doing a fairly good job at drowning her clear emotional distress tonight. Ty Lee might have seen guilt in her cold golden eyes, but she has no time to think of that when damp, bitter lips collide with hers.

Ty Lee gasps, breathing Azula in, breathing in the fact that _okay this did not just happen_.

And as Azula moves in for another, much fiercer kiss, Ty Lee surrenders to forgetting. To a one night stand that absolutely should not happen in a million years.

But despite their reservations, it is the best worst mistake of their lives.

[X]

The next morning, an exhausted Asami stands in a coffin of metal.

She barely remembers being roused from bed ─ not that she slept well ─ or being taken up, up, up and to whatever arena she must face. Her mentor is in front her, and Hama is murmuring words to Korra that are difficult to read through her weathered lips.

"You look at me," Azula snaps and Asami nods once. She sees Xia and Ty Lee looking at Asami, and she is looking at them before Azula grabs the side of Asami's uniform. "You _focus_. You are going to be extremely prudent about your actions, and you are to walk in the opposite direction that you want to."

"But my alli─"

If looks could kill. Azula snaps, "Your alliance won't last forever, but yes, I do think the District 1 tributes are worth impressing. Do not kill anyone in the bloodbath."

"I need to look _tough_ ," Asami protests.

"Please, for the love of Agni, shut up. You are going to watch; you are going to fight only if you are attacked. You are going to look as nonthreatening but appealing as possible. Your allies have been training together for two weeks, and you are the first to be killed off if you're dangerous. I am going to send you a very lovely gift as soon as you and the careers are together. They're only teaming up with you because of your mother and me. I'll show them that move was worth it and you do not show them anything but the necessary and nonviolent."

"Bets." Asami shakes her head and groans.

"Do not think about bets, sponsors or cameras. It doesn't matter what you'll do since you have a perfect score, a legacy and a charming interview. The outside of the arena is covered; the inside is all you have to fear." Azula stares at Asami with a passion that gives the tribute hope for the first time. Maybe she does have somebody on her side.

"Got it," Asami says honestly as she sees the needle moving to her arm without invitation or warning.

Tracker. Azula is wrong about the outside of the arena being covered, because the minute Asami feels the metal under her skin, she remembers just how monumentally low the odds were that she would be Reaped...

Unless he really _does_ want her dead for some reason.

[X]

The sun bursts too brightly above. The wind is hot, dry and sudden in comparison to the comfortable air conditioned hovercraft.

Korra looks down at the blue metal circle she stands on. It has the symbol for water, and she realizes she never noticed that the starting points for the tributes were divided by element. Well, she supposes the gamemakers have obsessive attention to detail.

She ignores the huge steel square in the center, the barrier on it flickering as if it is eager to be broken at a random interval during the bloodbath, and instead focuses on her surroundings. Crumbled ruins, she notices. Walls of buildings shattered to bits and loose, sharp stones that look prepared to skewer a tribute who takes a foolish step. The cover the ruins provide is dense, but the arena seems to be a desert. There are a few hardy plants and small patches of brush, but none of them seem to be a decent source of food, and Korra cannot see water anywhere.

Scorched. Scorched is the word Korra was trying to remember as she looks at plains, ruins, and on the far side of the arena, a gigantic tower that looks burned but is not in pieces.

 _This is how it looked. This is how the Old World looked after the rebels destroyed it._

She hears the countdown begin and no longer cares about the wasteland around her as she takes in the deepest breath that her lungs can take.

 _Bang_. Korra hears it and does not hesitate to start running, not thinking for a split second about whether she is doing something wrong and will explode or not.

The barrier around the Sanctuary Square does not move, and so Korra just keeps running past it while countless other tributes wait for it to fall and fight for their lives while they are at it. As she is trying to figure out which of these ruins is the safe one, the barrier bursts with a electric pulse and the sound of the desperate fight becomes so loud that Korra cannot hear anything but howls of pain and gasps for breath.

She twists her body and starts going in the direction of the tower, but her eye catches a backpack that is being ignored while the two tributes beside it grapple for the broadswords nearby.

Okay, okay, Korra runs forward, desperately clawing at the burnt ground for water and failing. She grabs it and then a bloodied hand lunges for her elbow; she spins around and crushes the backpack into him. Korra has no idea if he is dead, but he is definitely incapacitated, and so she resumes her race to the looming fortress in the distance.

Meanwhile, Asami does what her sister said to do. It just makes sense as she positions herself away from the cracks in the barrier. Her eyes catch Korra running towards a backpack, and Asami bolts towards her like an idiot.

That is the direction she wanted to go, and Asami should logically go the opposite.

Two tributes are coming at Korra, and she does not even see them. District 9; the scrawny kid from District 9 is holding a huge knife just as Korra's fingers graze that backpack. Asami grabs the first thing she sees ─ an extremely heavy and sharp throwing knife ─ and hurls it towards him. It makes a sickening crunch when it pierces his spine.

The other reaches for Korra, but she smashes him with the backpack. While he is reeling, Kuvira kills him in one slice of a metal sword that Asami could swear did not look like that before.

Korra runs and disappears into the ruins, earning herself bruises but at least a few hours more of life.

Asami defends herself despite not needing to; everyone overlooks her in the panic.

[X]

Asami watches the action unfold, finding it surreal until the cannons cease. The careers have settled, the contenders have ran and the corpses are waiting to be removed.

"Come on," Mako says, taking Asami by the arm and walking her to pick out weapons.

Asami learns her allies' names as she pretends to be debating which weapons work best. To be honest, Asami is clueless at the moment.

There's Ginger; the pretty one. There's Tahno; the cocky but strong one. There's Hahn; Asami thinks he will be the first career to die because he seems brash but not bright. Then Mako; he actually seems kind of nice, but a bit guarded.

Lastly, their self appointed but uncontested leader, Kuvira.

Kuvira, whom Asami just saw contort her metal blade into another shape. Lightning and bloodbending have got nothing on that. Asami just grabs a backpack and swallows her fear.

"Come on, lovebird. I don't like this place," a male voice says to Asami, and they are off into the maze of ruins to find the best vantage point.

The arena seems dreadful; Asami finds the air to be suffocating and the nuclear theme to be beyond unnerving. Her legs hurt within ten to twenty minutes of their walk, but she hides it by focusing her attention on the arena. She needs to make sure she has an escape route planned if the careers were not being honest.

To look for an advantage of some sort while Kuvira smoothly gives glossy orders and the group tests out their new toys. Her emerald eyes take in every last detail of her surroundings as she continues her death march towards the tower on the other side of the arena.

At last, Asami sees a glint in the scorched buildings, rocks and burnt foliage, and then another, and then something else quite similar...

Her heart skips a beat and her eyes light up when she realizes it:

Asami might not need weapons to win this game.

* * *

In the Capitol, Azula watches without looking away until the commentary begins about the end of the bloodbath. Her sigh of relief is audible and that makes her blush for a moment before realizing her company. Mai, Zuko, _Katara_ , ugh. Opal visited for a few seconds and Azula thinks that she might be trying to become friends. But it faded fairly quickly.

"Sorry about your tributes," Azula says with a smirk. Her eyes on Mai.

Zuko's stomach churns, but he feels sicker when he sees that Mai is... _amused_. Well, as amused as she can be.

 _"District Nine's first ever volunteer...!"_

 _He promises himself. He promises himself she will live, even if he has to cheat as much as Ozai._

"You guys are awful. It was your tributes who killed mine." Mai shrugs. "It isn't like I expected getting past the bloodbath in the first place. If I could bet, I wouldn't be betting on my tributes."

"Right, you are betting on Asami of course. Have you not seen her odds over there?" Azula tilts her head towards the telltale numbers.

"Yeah, they're impressive." Katara shrugs. "But they're only that high because of the _legacy tribute_ bullshit."

"None of our odds were that high. Even mine." Azula leans back, clasping her hands on her lap as the feed struggles to switch to follow her district. The main screens must be centered on someone else. "I'm going to keep them that way."

"You don't lack for confidence," Katara grumbles before the door to the well-decorated white room opens.

A squeaking noise is all that can be heard, before three loud stiletto steps...

And a screech and thud as Ty Lee falls face first trying to flee.


	4. Book 1: Stacking the Odds

**Chapter Four  
Stacking the Odds**

 _And the strict lord Death bids them to dance_.  
 _-The Seventh Seal-_

* * *

 ** _73rd Harmony Games, Victory Tour_**

 _Azula gazes at the people dancing but has little to no desire to join them._

 _This year's victor does not seem much more enthused than Azula. This year it was a twelve-year-old for the first time in decades… and she was blind on top of that. She has attracted a level of attention to rival Azula's three years ago. The girl liked it at first, grinning and gloating and being that type of brash celebrity the Capitol loves, but now she seems exhausted after her tour and the incessant cameras and fans._

 _While Azula knows she should not be on the sidelines, she feels queasy for no decent reason. There is just something_ wrong _about tonight but she cannot quite place a finger on what._

 _She then thinks her nerves might have had a reason when she can smell metal and roses, blood and flowers, the man who decided to be her father after being absent from her life only once she had won the Harmony Games._

 _"The party is nice," Azula says softly and President Ozai Shinohai does not seem to be here for small talk._

 _That creeping chill overwhelms Azula again._

 _"I would like to make you an offer," her father says and she nods. "I want a change before the Quarter Quell. I want a new gamemaker."_

 _"That's two years away," Azula replies, although she figures the games have to be planned long ahead of time._

 _He ignores her and states, "Correct. I want a new gamemaker this year."_

 _"I have no suggestions." Pause. "You're asking me? You're asking me."_

 _Ozai nods once and it is enough to make Azula feel panic surging through her blood. She does not know what reason he would have to make her make the games but it cannot be a good one in any world._

 _Azula can only ask, "Why would you want that? I have to be underqualified."_

 _"I think you are perfectly qualified. This is a wonderful offer, and you should take it," Ozai says and Azula realizes it is not an offer but an imposition._

 _"I don't know," Azula says without meaning to. She should say yes, but she cannot say yes._

 _Azula has a shred of humanity left in her. Even if she can barely see anything human in her eyes anymore._

 _She runs away that night, even though she has no place to go._

 _She tells him just what she thinks about how he fucked up her childhood with his selfishness._

 _She does not know why she is not killed._

 _All he says is, "This Reaping Day, the odds won't be in your favor."_

* * *

Katara frowns as she watches that cute escort girl trip on her face and instantly hop up and continue her flight from the room. That girl has only been working for the past two years, and it makes Katara feel pangs of guilt to see her so scared.

"You didn't," Mai says to Azula and Katara suddenly realizes why Ty Lee was running. "You didn't have a one-night stand with your district escort."

"I did," Azula replies, having no idea why she is being honest. She shrugs and tries to play it off as unimportant.

"You have to face her for years, you know?" Mai has to admit that this is mildly amusing, even if it sucks for Ty Lee.

Azula bites down on her lower lip and debates whether she should get up and chase Ty Lee or not. She focuses on the screen and sees Asami walking with the career pack, an inexplicable glint of hope in her emerald eyes. Maybe Azula can abandon her for a few minutes.

"It was a tense night," Azula weakly protests and Katara's horrible eyes widen and she laughs her horrible laugh and Azula _hates her so much_.

"You slept with that poor girl?" Katara asks through her uncontrollable giggles.

"Yes," Azula replies coldly, before standing up and pursuing the escort who should definitely not have been treated like a less savory type of escort.

Prompted out of spite for Katara, she strides through the cold white room now adorned with a board of rapidly changing odds, bets and conditions, juxtaposed to a wide screen playing the main feed of the Harmony Games that everyone sees.

The buzz of conversation from schmoozing mentors and swooning sponsors is now easy for Azula to ignore; it is white noise as she tries to focus on Asami.

Azula finds Ty Lee in the ladies' room, which is nicer than even the homes in the Victor's Village. The walls are painted with beautiful pre-war scenes from the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, even the Water Tribes. Atop of the plush and spotless carpet are soft sofas, lounges and endless mirrors that are in perpetual use by the sponsors and some mentors. A few crisp issues of Capitol Couture are on the counter, and the bathroom itself is nowhere in sight.

And there, at one of the mirrors of course, is the District 2 Escort.

She is… talking to the District 4 Mentor? Azula imagined her surrounded by a giggling gaggle of girls in bright yellow and pink.

"Hey, kid," Kya says with a smile that makes her lip wrinkle. "We were just talking about you."

"Kya," hisses Ty Lee and Azula is rendered speechless by this zany scene. She has seen strange things living in the Capitol for nearly five years, but not as strange as this.

"What? You didn't say she couldn't know," Kya says, laughing. She sets the cotton balls back on the table so Ty Lee can finish dabbing her make-up on her own. "I'm sure she figured it out, which is why she's here."

"I had no idea that would make you cry. Do you…" Azula feels pained by these words. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Ty Lee pouts her pink lips and finishes restoring her make-up to its pristine condition.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm going to go check in with some of the new sponsors." Ty Lee stands and scurries away, her heels clicking loudly until the sound is drowned out by the chatter in the ladies' room.

Kya cocks an eyebrow. "I think that was pretty decent of you to offer to talk to her."

"Did she tell you why she's so pissed off?" Azula asks, crossing her arms.

"Something about you and some things that you might have said this morning." Kya shrugs.

"She's some Capitol girl. She can't honestly think that she's going to be able to have a relationship with a victor…" Azula rolls her eyes and then they narrow on Kya. She has clearly said something wrong.

"Yeah, she's that type, but she isn't actually a Capitol girl," Kya says and Azula cocks an eyebrow.

"Right, of course, the girl dyed bright pink isn't a Capitol girl." Azula wishes this were not so complicated; she should have stuck to sex with people she would likely never see again.

"She's from District 8," Kya says softly and Azula does not know how to respond. It strikes her off guard and Kya frowns when she notices. "I thought you knew. Her dad won the games a little after me, actually. He moved to the Capitol after getting a job offer as a stylist for the games. Now he's actually in rehab for drugs, but that's a story for another day…"

"I didn't need to know any of that," Azula says coldly and Kya shakes her head with this _knowing_ look.

"Yeah, you did."

Azula ignores Kya, gazes at the holo-screen and watches the little girl tribute from District 7 get separated from her partner.

* * *

In the arena, Asami and the career pack are deep into the rubble of the wasteland when the sun sets and the careers decide to stop. She sits down, quietly offers help and is turned down, and then gets to work silently surveying the area for the recognizable devices that pepper the ruins.

Cameras. Sato Industries. Packs. Sato Industries. Switches-Asami-Doesn't-Want-To-Touch. Sato Industries. Her dad is not a gamemaker, but he might as well have built the arena with his bare hands.

"We're going to have three watches tonight," Kuvira announces and Asami nods. "Then we keep going towards that tower. Everybody is going to run right to that huge beacon…"

Her next few words are drowned out by the anthem echoing through the arena. Asami instantly looks up, her heart pounding. She does not know why she cares who died, but she _does_ , because each death is a step closer to her life.

The first face in the sky is from District 4, and that means Korra is alive. Same with those two scary twins, yes, but Korra is alive and Asami does not know why she is so happy about that. She does glance at Hahn but he is unflinching about the death of his district partner. The next is the earth tribute from District 5. Then both tributes from District 9.

Finally, the anthem plays in a victorious flourish and the sky fades back to the artificial moon and stars.

"That was your kill, right?" asks Ginger as she gestures where District 9 was moments ago.

"Yeah," Asami replies quietly. They all told her she should feel so proud, but it just makes her confused. She cannot imagine herself taking a life. That isn't an idea she can wrap her head around.

"Good job," Mako says with a warm nod in her direction.

She feebly shrugs. Best to look humble and weak.

"We're going to go further into the ruins tomorrow," Kuvira finishes and then she assigns first watch to Mako and second to Hahn. "We need a fortress if we want to conquer."

Those are the last words said before the watch is initiated and the careers settle in relative safety.

But Asami wakes in the pitch black night to the sounds of a quiet commotion in her camp.

She sits up from the yellowish canvas sleeping bag that she had rested between two fallen columns and can see Kuvira hovering over Hahn, whom Mako has pinned down on rusty metal strewn over the rubble. She glances over at Ginger and Tahno and sees that they are both waking just now.

"I was _tired_ ," Hahn whines, his machismo attitude wiped away by his clear fear. Asami slowly sits up and tries not to draw attention to herself as she seeks the cameras with her eyes.

"You were sleeping on watch. It doesn't matter if you were tired," Kuvira says in a lethal but eerily calm tone.

"I…" Hahn is at a loss for words.

"We obviously don't allow sleeping on watch in the arena. And so it must be penalized. You know what the punishment is for sleeping on watch?" Kuvira says calmly and Asami stares with eyes wide as saucers.

"N-no," Hahn replies nervously, his stomach doing backflips.

His answer is the squelching sound of metal puncturing organs. He looks stunned for a few moments, but then comes the sound of the cannon. _Bang_. Asami flinches, even if she has heard it several times before.

This is not good. This is not good. This is not good.

Asami does not think she likes her allies very much.

* * *

In the Capitol, Mai asks loudly, "Can I change my bet?"

"Mai!" Katara shouts in revulsion.

"What? That girl is going to win and we all know it." Mai just shrugs; she is right and unapologetic.

Azula has been blessed with the presence of Mai and her two cronies as she sits in the center of a lounge and subtly scans for sponsors. Hama has been locked in conversation with an older man, and Azula does not think she can swoop in and steal that. Korra should be allowed to have a chance. After all, Azula needs the star-crossed lovers scheme to fall back on once the careers at last disband.

And judging by Kuvira's latest action, that will not be a long time from now.

"She's smart, but she knows she's smart," Azula remarks dryly, unimpressed by the career pack leader who just gutted a boy for falling asleep on watch. "It'll be her undoing."

Katara rolls her eyes. "Because you're just the picture of humility."

"I can be arrogant. I already won."

Azula stands as soon as she sees the wealthy wife of a casino owner and strides over to her to begin chatting her up.

The rest of the day goes as expected; Azula flirts her way to several significant deals that should make the careers very happy with their weakest recruit. And when the evening comes to a close, Azula makes the decision to go home instead of back to the Tribute Center.

Home. She wonders when she started referring to the Presidential Palace as _home_.

And so now, she sits in a car with Mai, whom is balancing a champagne glass precariously between her knees. They are bathed in the flickering neon lights that shine through the windows of the white limousine and it looks like a very pathetic attempt at a two person rave party. Azula has attempted the Capitol party life, mostly to erase the pain, but she is not that type of people person, nor the type of person who can surrender control like that.

"So, who are the District 1 mentors this year anyway? I didn't see any of the victors," Azula asks, surprised that she did not think about that even after the buzz about Kuvira all night. "They're our best competition."

" _Your_ best competition. Hyunara and Izumi of course. No, they're definitely not making any appearances other than maybe a commercial or two," Mai says before yawning and leaning back. "Although, their games were impressive. As impressive as that metalbending girl who just killed her own ally without a second thought. I'm changing my bet."

Those victors could not be more different, but they are intimidating. _Almost_ intimidating. Hyunara has fangs, which is real dedication to her brand. Izumi is calculated but mild mannered, which is far more frightening than a woman famous for ripping throats out with her bare teeth. They know what they are doing, and Azula has never mentored before. But Azula will win. She knows how to create a narrative that captivates any audience.

That is worth more than them. She reminds herself of that.

Azula sighs haughtily. "Asami Sato is going to be the Victor of the 74th Annual Harmony Games if it is the last thing I do. They will have to pry that crown out of my cold, dead hands before it goes to anyone but her," she snaps.

"Maybe you should have accepted the offer to be gamemaker if you feel that way," Mai says sharply and it stings. Mai wishes she could regret it, but she does not; it is the truth. It is exactly why Ozai did this in particular.

Azula leans back against the cold window as Mai finishes her drink in silence.

* * *

In the arena, Asami does not get back to sleep that night.

Korra doesn't sleep either. She is still hopping through the ruins and focusing on her goal. The tower had seemed so close before, but now it is so far away.

She stumbles and ducks when she hears footsteps crunching on the scorched gravel. They sound heavy and male. Slowly, she lies down further and tries to reach for her water pouch as quietly as she can. Korra rolls on her side and begins to crawl away from the sound of the two scary twins from District 3…

But then she hears a yelp of horror and the sound of ice being bent. Korra holds her breath. The shrieking twelve-year-old is a _distraction_ so that she can escape. That is what a logical person who is as dead set on winning as Korra would do.

She only gets a few steps towards the charred forest before she spins around, forming a water whip in one motion and shattering the prison of ice around the little girl from District 7. The twins look up at Korra, half-emotionless, half-enraged at the interruption of their kill.

"Run, kid, run!" Korra shouts, probably attracting the attention of every tribute in the arena.

The little girl bolts away as Korra prepares her water for another strike. Two against one, same element, the two of them with far more advanced training than her. She really doubts she is making it out of this one, but that doesn't stop her from running to higher ground and avoiding the seemingly ceaseless attacks coming her way.

Korra jumps and rolls beneath the rubble, bracing herself for the long fall down a small hill. She thinks she hits every rock on the way down, but once she hits the ground for good, she cannot hear Desna and Eska anymore.

She waits, breathless, for the sunrise, too afraid to move.

Too afraid to let anyone see that she is quietly crying about that little girl.

* * *

In the Capitol, even when removed from the Tribute Center and in the Presidential Palace, Azula cannot avoid being sucked back into watching the games. She walks barefoot across the cold hardwood floors and sees the largest, focal television on with the non-mentor-oriented format; Azula had almost forgotten what the _real_ Harmony Games looked like.

Mimi is watching on the sofa, and Azula and Mai gravitate towards the screen until they are sitting beside her and watching in silence. They _have_ managed to give some interesting highlights this evening.

Like with Korra. _Ugh_.

The moment Korra breaks Ikki free from the prison of ice makes her mentor's breath catch. She cannot remove her eyes from the girl she needs dead.

She cannot remove her eyes from a girl who, for a moment, reminds her of herself. Ikki is eerily familiar, and Azula knows it is by her father's design. If Korra does _anything_ similar to Azula's Games, it will make ruthlessly killing Korra more difficult. Far from impossible; Azula lacks a heart or any compasssion. But more difficult.

"Does anybody even remember how to cry for those kids?" Azula thinks aloud as she watches her tribute shed tears in front of millions of people about a girl she _saved_.

Silence.

No. The answer is no.

"Well, now that everyone feels terrible about themselves, it is Mimi's bedtime," Mai says as she looks over at the girl sucking on a fleece blanket as she watches as vacantly as if it were a cartoon. Ikki is not much older than her. Mai tries not to think about that as she snatches the girl and takes her towards the stairs.

Mimi does not complain as she allows her mother to lay her down and wrap the blankets too tightly around her, as if she is afraid she is going to fall out and die. Maybe she _is_.

"She lived, right?"

"Ikki?"

"Korra."

"Oh, yeah." Mai does not know why Mimi is asking. She does not _like_ the fact that Mimi is asking. "Is she your favorite this year?"

"Yeah. I like her eyes." Mimi smiles faintly and Mai thinks she is being honest. "And how she was in the interview. She was so funny!"

Mai crosses her arms and wonders how she is supposed to address this. She figured at some point her child would choose a favorite tribute for petty reasons, and root for them, and maybe even cry when they died.

It feels wrong. It makes her think about the fact that there were probably little girls watching her talking about how much they wanted her to win or talking about her eyes.

"Goodnight," Mai says softly.

"Night," Mimi murmurs and Mai wishes she did not love her kid so much.

This consolation prize of a _happily ever after_ is a joke.

And like all jokes, Mai does not think it is funny.

Two days later, Azula wakes with an agonizing headache on the sofa of the District 2 apartment in the Tribute Center.

Her eyes flutter open and try to identify what just dared to wake her. She finds that it is Varrick going on and on about _the most exciting play yet_. Azula sits up fast enough to give herself whiplash, but she does not care as she anxiously waits for him to return to the recap.

The highlight plays, after he finishes blathering.

Asami is running and Azula's heart begins to race, but then she sees the other careers sans Tahno running alongside her. The camera pans to him, not her, and she, Kuvira, Mako and Ginger are now out of sight.

It is the two twins who nearly killed the little girl Korra has now so _cutely_ allied with. One of them is dead. The boy. Tahno is holding the club that bludgeoned him to death, and the girl has torn up the entire small building they had taken shelter in. The soaked rubble drips with black ash as she, in utter rage and agony, slashes him in half with a blade of ice.

The feed very quickly cuts out after that, and tries to focus on the first blast of blood instead of what the aftermath of _that_ must look like. Azula shivers very slightly.

Her district partner was decapitated.

She decapitated her district partner.

It was not a good time.

"I would fear that girl," Hama remarks from the back of the room. She is clutching a glass of orange juice and studying her previously passed out parallel mentor. "She was very close to her brother, and her bending is very powerful. Revenge is one hell of motivator."

"Yeah." Azula forces herself to get up and get dressed.

When she finishes dolling herself up and popping too many painkillers, Azula returns to the luxurious rooms alit with excitement about the games. She had thought there would be more talk about Eska's clear mental break. But apparently her tribute has done something more newsworthy. The _wrong_ tribute; Korra has done it and now Azula is staring at a board of odds trying to figure out how to remedy this situation.

She hears high heels click towards her and come to a halt at her side. When she looks over her shoulder, she sees Ty Lee beside her.

"It disgusts me," Azula says and she does not need to explain herself to her escort.

"People like her spirit," Ty Lee offers brightly as she realizes how Korra and Asami's odds have flip-flopped since Korra allied with Ikki. Azula finds it absurd; allying with a little girl makes Korra _weak_ , even if she seems _sympathetic_. Asami is in a far better situation.

"Spirit doesn't increase kill counts," Azula snaps and Ty Lee slowly shakes her head.

"It's _good television_. Korra helping that little girl. It's unusual and sweet. It reminds me of your Games," Ty Lee says with a fawning expression that makes Azula want to throttle her. _How dare_ this meaningless escort voice what everyone else is smart enough not to. "Why don't we get Asami to join up with them? The two lovers and a child between them, fighting together…"

"Yes, that would be good for ratings," Azula says coldly, brimming with anger about Ty Lee's cavalier attitude towards Azula's Games. "But I need her to _live_ this time."

Ty Lee clears her throat. "How did _you_ live?"

Azula's cheeks flush and her jaw clenches. At last, she admits, "I lived by exploiting the viewers and increasing ratings so much that they couldn't afford to let me die in there."

"Uh-huh. So, how does playing house sound to you?" Ty Lee smiles and bats her eyelashes.

"So, how does figuring out how to interfere with the games sound to you? Asami is not stupid enough to leave the career pack."

"The career pack is breaking _really_ fast. The second Ginger is dead, Mako and Kuvira are going to pick Asami off," Ty Lee says and Azula sighs because it is true.

"I wish you were as dumb as you looked."

Azula glares at her escort but Ty Lee smiles back at her.

* * *

In the arena, Korra is slowing down.

Water. By dawn on the second day of the Harmony Games, water has now become Korra's biggest priority. Her pack had her set for combat, and, to be honest, she had been using most of it as something to drink so that she does not die on her long trip to the tower.

But now she has run out, and she has no doubts that those twins will kill her on sight. Not to mention the careers.

She cracks her knuckles, glances around, wonders how she is even supposed to find it. When she was a kid, there was always water. Everywhere. Even if it was impossible to drink, like most of the marsh, she was surrounded by it. More of it than trees or sunshine.

But here? This arena is a literal wasteland. She has a packet of iodine but not a drop to drink.

Korra feels her head start spinning as she continues trudging towards the tower.

"Water," she occasionally says in the direction of the sky or a shady corner. But she does not think she is swimming in sponsors. Ugh. Swimming. That sounds good.

She is beginning to lose energy and willpower when she reaches a roadblock. A literal one.

All she wants in the arena is to get to that clock tower amongst the ruins of the city before she runs out of water. She has not heard cannon fire in a while, and that does not bode well for her. The games stop being interesting when the killing stops. So, to avoid making herself into a fun twist for the gamemakers, she knows she has to get moving as fast as possible.

But she can't do that.

Because there is a humongous wall that spans all the way to the forests on either side. It has vines on it, and so they are the first thing she tries. She grabs onto one and it snaps before she can even get a foot onto it. She grabs two, tests their strength by tugging on them, and then she runs up the wall a few feet before they snap and she hits the dirt.

She growls in frustration before pushing her sore, dehydrated, bruised body back up and trying with another two vines. They last for an even shorter period of time than the previous ones.

Then Korra begins pacing, looking for natural handholds in the rubble. She finds a small path she could take, and gets a few steps up before she hits the ground. This time, she feels too dizzy and breathless to even get up.

She is closing her eyes in defeat when she sees someone hop onto the wall with ease. Korra blinks several times fast, certain she has hallucinated it, but when she sits up, she sees the little girl she saved perched on top of it like a bird.

"Hi," Ikki whispers, waving at Korra. "Thank you for saving me earlier. Do you want me to help you get across?"

"I'd love that," Korra says, pushing herself to her feet. "How did you…?"

"Airbending." Ikki smiles and begins to prance across the wall in search of a good way to help Korra. "I've been doing a pretty good job getting around these huge rocks and stuff. You're a little… uh, heavier on your feet, aren't you?"

"Something like that," Korra grumbles as she follows Ikki from below.

"It's okay. Not everybody can be an awesome airbender. You're really brave. You don't need to run and jump and hide or fly away," Ikki says earnestly. She at last finds a loose hunk of stone that used to be a door before it was bombed.

"Thank you," Korra says awkwardly. Ikki takes a huge breath, holds up her hands, and Korra barely has time to jump out of the way as Ikki breaks the weak spot in the wall. "Little warning next time would be good!"

But Korra is laughing. And Ikki is laughing.

Korra calms down and walks through the new opening. She cannot help but frown when she sees the landscape in front of her. This is not an arena made for a waterbender or firebender, that's for sure. The rubble is huge, uneven and goes all the way to the hazy foot of the tower.

"So…" Korra begins as Ikki starts to jump along with the wind, "do you wanna make an alliance?"

"Really?" Ikki looks stunned by that for some reason.

"Yeah. I'm trying to get to that tower and… you saw me back there. I think I could use some help," Korra says honestly and Ikki smiles.

"So, you want me to help? You don't just want me to tag along 'cause I'm a kid?" Ikki looks hopeful and so Korra nods. "Sounds good. I know where this really nice pond is. Are you thirsty?"

Korra thinks perhaps Ikki is a mirage or hallucination, but, to be honest, Korra could not care less when her mouth feels like this.

When Ikki guides Korra to the pond, she thinks she is _definitely_ dreaming. It is… beautiful. Strangely beautiful, seeing as it is just a huge ditch in which a lot of rainwater or runoff has pooled. It is surrounded by walls of busted columns and crumbling rock, which offers shade too.

"How did you find this place?" Korra asks in awe as she stumbles to the water and tries to force herself not to drink it until she purifies it.

"A little birdy told me." Pause. "I was the birdy. I was flying by it and… fell in."

Korra laughs hoarsely as she impatiently awaits her first real drink in at least six hours of walking across uneven terrain in the scorching sunlight.

"Better to fall in here than a… lava pit or something," Korra says as she finally sees the water finish and puts the bottle to her lips faster than she thought she could ever move. She downs the entire thing before deciding she should broil more for both she and Ikki.

Ikki finishes examining the perimeter and then sits down beside Korra with her eyes focused on the beautiful pool. The water is oddly crystalline for an arena that is made of dust; it breaks the illusion that this place is not artificial.

"There must be a lot of water where you're from," Ikki says as she finds a stone and begins to clean it with her small, swift hands.

"Yeah. It's mostly a marsh, though. It's not all pretty like that stuff," Korra admits with a cavalier shrug. "And, so what's District 7 like?"

"It's really dry and hot. It's a desert, actually. There's just fire and air and stuff," Ikki says. "There's a word for it and it starts with _A_ but I don't remember. Ugh."

"Airy?" Korra asks, screwing up her face in thought.

"Kinda. Oh, never mind…" Ikki watches the water as Korra begins to make a very small, controlled fire.

"Arid!" Korra exclaims, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

Ikki squeals and claps her hands. " _Arid_! That's the one. You're so smart!"

Korra laughs quietly. "Asami is smarter." She then scratches her head. "Asami could figure out how to light this thing…"

Meanwhile, Asami sits beneath another shelter of rubble with the remaining career pack as Ginger reheats the dried food packets Asami's sponsors gave them. That smell is the smell of _life_ , because Asami knows it is the only reason she is still alive. She received three more packages; they all were weapons.

Kuvira and Mako are sorting them.

"Okay, you can have the bow," Kuvira says, tossing it at Ginger. "Sword?" Kuvira holds it up to Mako. He nods and accepts. "This slingshot is cute. Here you go, Sato."

And so, a child's toy is thrown onto Asami's lap, now her only real weapon. Great. She mutters a thank you and pretends to be grateful.

"What are these?" Ginger asks as she picks through the different projectiles.

"Those are Caldera Cocktails," Asami blurts out before blushing. But they are all listening. "They're like tiny little grenades. You turn them on, throw and run away from them."

"Right." Ginger looks unimpressed, as usual.

Asami nods once at her and does her part to set up their camp. She has no choice but to make herself as useful as possible as their numbers dwindle.

That evening, the only names in the sky are Tahno and Desna. That means maybe Eska has not gone on the killing spree that Asami had been worried about. She is on watch with Mako, trying not to make Hahn's mistake but struggling to keep her eyes open.

"So, Tahno is down, Ginger would be next…" Asami says quietly to him. "And then you guys will kill me, huh?"

Mako frowns faintly even if he knows that it is true.

"I kinda like you," Mako admits, rubbing his neck awkwardly. He stares at her, seeking any way to get out of this conversation. He finds it glittering on her jacket. "Hey, that pin is cool."

Asami touches it gently. "It was my mother's. She wore it during her games."

"She…" Mako trails off.

"Died. Yeah. I miss her," Asami says and Mako frowns at his feet. "It's okay. Don't feel bad for bringing her up. It's nice to hear about her… most people pretend she never existed."

Mako gazes at her for a long while.

"Is that stuff true? About you and Korra?" Mako asks and Asami is taken aback. She did not expect that question from him.

"I guess. Yeah," Asami says warmly, and he averts his eyes.

She is glad it is dark and cold so he cannot see her blush.

* * *

In the Capitol, Azula shakes and cries as she clings onto the counter behind her. She holds it like it is a slowly deflating life raft, and tries to steady herself as she trembles like a leaf in the wind.

She cannot bear this. She cannot handle the sparing of that little air girl.

She cannot handle what she sees in front of her.

Where is she? Why does she feel like she is somewhere that no longer exists?

It is not the first time she has vanished from reality, but it is one of the worst.

[X]

After calming herself with pills, Azula has made at least one stylist cry in frustration this evening, and she considers that to be the first victory of the day. She has been preparing for an important party of the Presidential Palace tonight that she had little desire to attend until she began truly thinking through what Ty Lee had suggested earlier today.

She has decided what she must do to salvage her plans to control the games, and it involves her airheaded one-night stand.

Azula is halfway ready and mostly wrapped in towels when she sees Ty Lee walking through the apartment on a phone call. The second she finishes it, Azula swallows her pride and does what must be done.

"Would you like to come to the Presidential Palace party tonight?" Azula asks Ty Lee in a pained tone. "Not like a date. I'm actually attending to see if I can get your playing house idea to work, and you are a wonderful example of the average viewer."

Ty Lee shrugs; it's the best she will get from Azula. "I would _love_ to be your _date_ to the party tonight."

"Good. Meet me in two hours," Azula says. She turns off the faucet and goes to find her idiot stylist.

The moment Azula is gone, Ty Lee is sent into a frenzy. She has never been invited to a party like that before, and she does not know how she will even _handle_ it. Azula is _trusting_ her to make her look good and Ty Lee goes through _every single_ outfit she owns. It still does not feel good enough when she meets the victor.

"Oh wow," Ty Lee murmurs as she looks at Azula dressed for the party. She is electrifying in those clothes, the sapphire that somehow does not overwhelm her natural glamor. Girls in the Capitol would go under the knife a thousand times and not reach that kind of beauty.

Azula would disagree; she hates her outfits. She does, however, think Ty Lee looks marvelous, even with those tacky pink eyelashes.

"To the party then, I suppose?" Azula cocks an eyebrow.

And an hour later, they wander through the lavish bash giving greetings and trying to reach Zhao. He is her best chance of gently nudging the odds in her favor. It isn't as if no mentor has pulled strings in the Capitol before; the _real_ sponsors do so much more than give water bottles and fancy knives.

"Where is he?" Ty Lee asks as she clings more tightly to Azula. Her face is flushed, her smile wide, her skin glowing as she tries to make this party last. She does not know if she will ever be able to go to another one, and it is _thrilling_.

"I have no idea," Azula says coldly. She turns and sees Zuko, Katara and June leaning against one of the tables and talking over shots. Azula swallows her pride for the sake of her sister and walks towards them.

"What do you need?" Katara asks and Azula rolls her eyes.

"We're looking for Zhao," Azula says earnestly and Katara turns away, trying to hide her distaste. It is not as if she hasn't utilized that different type of sponsor, but she does not like condoning it either.

Zuko, however, looks at Azula and squints. "You're rigging the game already?"

"I'm making a suggestion, as the person who was offered his job and therefore ought to be listened to," Azula replies and Ty Lee shivers. She does not know what Azula is going on about, but it sounds uncomfortable and dark.

June clears her throat and decides to help the girl who wants to spice up these boring-ass games. "I last saw him hitting on some uncomfortable girl in the Fire Courtyard. All the gamemakers are in that, uh, general vicinity." She unflinchingly tosses back another drink.

"Good," Azula says.

"But take my advice. Your girl is doing good right now, and I believe in a wonderful piece of advice from this pretty boy." June nudges Zuko so hard he nearly falls over. "Save the best shot for last."

She takes Katara's glass of clear liquor, tilts it towards Azula, and drinks it pointedly.

"I will," Azula replies before grabbing Ty Lee and making her way to the Fire Courtyard.

The moment Azula leaves, "Well, that went well," Zuko comments as _save the best shot for last_ echoes in his head.

Zuko doesn't know why the final advice he gave a tribute he swore to stop thinking about has so quickly overtaken his mind. Maybe because he doesn't have any other duties than charming Capitol citizens now that both his tributes are dead. Maybe because the only thing that Ozai cannot control is Zuko's mind; if the victor wants to, he can think all he wants about Mai.

"Why do you look so guilty?" Katara asks as she leans against the blindingly sparkly table. "Seriously."

And Zuko glances up at his date to the party. "Reasons," Zuko replies weakly and Katara laughs.

She looks spectacular in that cobalt dress that isn't _glamorous_ but beautiful. Her stylists know what they are doing, if what they're doing is trying to keep her alive. That's why Katara stays in the limelight nonstop, as she told Zuko the night Ozai told him what they both had to do. Because it's hard to kill a victor that everyone loves.

"You look even more brooding than usual this year. Bleck." Katara sticks her tongue out and then rolls her eyes. "We should have fun while we can. I don't think the rest of the night is going to be as pretty as you." She mockingly pats the side of his face, the one without the scar, and then leans against the table more loosely this time.

Opal walks by, smiles brightly and then walks over to the both of them. Katara and Zuko can't help but soften a bit; this girl, of all people, doesn't deserve this life.

"Have you seen Mai? I have her coat and I don't know where she went," Opal asks casually and Zuko feels disconcerted. He worries when people go missing. Everyone he loved did, and so he needs to make sure she is okay. Opal walks away, shrugging with the white blazer still draped over her arm.

She and Katara meet each other's gaze and Zuko's skin prickles. They know something that he doesn't, and so he walks through the crowd and tries to find the sullen girl in the white dress. After very awkwardly asking a few drunks who wouldn't be on Ozai's radar, he manages to find her in the abandoned Water Courtyard.

The sky is still smoky with the fireworks that go off every night during the games as if there is reason for celebration.

 _Save the best shot for last_.

Mai is using a bow. She likes throwing stars, throwing knives; she would probably learn how to use spears if someone would teach her. But she always was good at archery. She is holding the string for what feels like too long to Zuko, but he doesn't know anything other than broadswords and bending.

She releases and the arrow hits the bottle perched on the fence. It crashes and cracks and Zuko jumps.

"Are you… having fun?" Zuko asks and he knows it doesn't even merit a response.

"Destroying expensive champagne bottles with arrows is slightly less torturous than the party."

"Well," Zuko says before clearing his throat, "slightly less torturous is better than torturous."

That probably is a tasteless comment, given the Capitol's track record with brutality.

"Wanna learn to be a master marksman?" Mai asks, holding up the beautiful silver bow.

It's unnecessarily made of real silver. The ridiculous material that makes it too heavy to be practical. But it's the best present he has ever given her because she quite likes to imagine herself shooting an arrow through his head one day.

"I probably can't, but I'll try," Zuko admits.

Mai nods and beckons.

In a courtyard that is humming with life instead of the cold silence of Mai and Zuko alone, Azula and Ty Lee enter the loud, rowdy antics of gamemakers and girls.

"Oh, there she is," says the gamemaker of the past eight years as Azula and her arm candy demand that all eyes focus on them. "Everyone's favorite victor."

"I wouldn't say _everyone_ ," Azula says sweetly and Ty Lee cocks an eyebrow. "But you shouldn't believe half of what I say."

He laughs. It is forced, which Azula thinks is for the best; he wants to impress her.

"And who is she?" Zhao asks as the other important people fade back into their conversations. Azula stands by the fountain with her escort and her prey.

"This is Ty Lee. She's the escort this year," Azula says before launching into the excruciating small talk.

But, at last, she finds her opportunity.

"I have this _idea_ , you see," Azula says and he studies her.

"Don't we all." Zhao looks slightly concerned and Azula clenches her jaw.

She somehow manages to maintain her beautiful air. "Mine are worth listening to."

"True enough." He tips his drink to her and she tries not to roll her eyes.

"Korra and Ikki have made… such a stir of excitement. But they're just on the sidelines saying cute things," Azula says smoothly, releasing Ty Lee for the first time. "I think that perhaps forcing them to spice it up could make for an incredible finale."

"And how?" Zhao asks. He _does_ know that Korra and Ikki are worth exploiting.

"Star-crossed lovers, remember? We get the careers to collide with Korra and Ikki. Korra saves the kid, gets the girl… for now. They play house while being hunted in vengeance…"

* * *

The next morning in the arena, Korra does not think she is getting any closer to the tower. In fact, she thinks she might be going in circles, but she still focuses on Ikki and working in tandem to cross the rubble field. They heard a cannon earlier, and Korra has been trying not to think about it.

The odds are in Asami's favor.

She and Ikki left the reservoir before sunup and have now been returning to their course towards the tower that sticks out on the horizon like a beacon. Now, they are at a standstill, hungry, thirsty and exhausted.

"Can you get up there?" Korra asks Ikki, her brow knit in concern.

" _Obviously_ ," Ikki says with a huge smile.

"That place has a really good view of the forest parts," Korra says as she squints at the high nest-looking place made from a broken building.

"You think that's where everybody else is?" Ikki asks. She _does_ remember Lu Ten going in that direction.

"Maybe." Korra shakes her head and shrugs.

Ikki runs up the wall and lands atop the stones. She glances around and then holds down her pack for Korra to grab onto. It takes some bending and some of Korra's brute strength, but they both make it to the top and sit down comfortably.

"I'm starving," Ikki says quietly and Korra stares at the distant forest. They are in a really bad situation.

"I thought maybe there would be something on this path. But I guess it was the most obvious one…" Korra frowns. "It was a trap to… kill us here, I guess."

Ikki wishes she had something to say that would make Korra feel better, but she doesn't.

"So tell me about your magical romance with Asami," Ikki asks with an excited smile. Korra does not know how this kid does it, but she envies her.

Korra sighs as she looks around at the ruins intermingled with wilderness. Asami is somewhere out there, and is possibly going to kill Korra and Ikki both.

"I never knew she liked me," Korra says, rubbing her neck. "I wish I did."

"How did you meet?" Ikki asks excitedly and Korra rubs her dry lips together.

"She helped me… out. Just out of a tough spot. I invited her to a thing and she never showed up. And that was… it, I guess," Korra says weakly. It is _sort of_ the story, she supposes.

They are interrupted by the Capitol fanfare and a symbol in the sky. Three cannon shots, there were today. Korra holds her breath until the first face comes up; District 6. It's the earthbending boy, Haru. Both tributes, Kai and Jinora, from District 8 have been killed today too.

"Who's left?" Korra whispers and Ikki thinks for a minute.

"Mine is alive; Lu Ten is alive. You, me, Asami, Mako, Kuvira, the red haired girl and the girl twin," Ikki lists and she pauses to make sure she is right. She is.

"So that's eight still left," Korra murmurs. "We have a chance of making it through tonight without anything interfering."

"Yeah," Ikki whispers as she looks at Korra with her wide, admiring eyes.

Korra then sees something coming at them both. She grabs her fighting water and Ikki holds up her hands to create a shield, but then the tributes notice that it is a gift from a sponsor. Korra can barely breathe when she sees it.

"Thank you, Hama," she whispers, because no way was it Azula. Korra grabs it and with a timed slash of water, she slices it open and a pile of dehydrated food falls out onto her lap.

She grins at Ikki and the little girl quietly cheers.

Meanwhile, Asami can feel the tension in the career pack. She does not think they are going to last long, and she tries her best to focus on a way to use any of her skills to survive another day. Her thoughts are on creating a disaster using one of the recognizable contraptions, but none of them make sense, and Asami does not want to risk it.

She thinks she might be a coward.

She just keeps walking behind the three other careers, her eyes fixated on them to ensure she avoids being stabbed in the back.

"What was that?" Mako asks and Kuvira holds up her closed fist.

Asami and Ginger stumble to a stop and Asami feels her ears bend towards whatever sound they are discussing. She does hear it. It is a _creaking_ at first, and then a _humming_ , and then the ground begins to shake beneath Asami's feet.

She screams and barely dodges the now falling ceiling. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The earthquake intensifies and Asami looks around, agape as she feels pebbles raining onto her skin. Camera. She sees two cameras and their position…

The Capitol wouldn't break those, would they?

Asami hears huge thud, and it is a chance she is willing to take. She runs across the breaking floor and shoves herself into the crevice with the two cameras. Her chest heaves and her breath deafens her as she waits out the earthquake.

Meanwhile, Ikki barely breaks she and Korra's fall as the earthquake strikes the two of them as well. She starts running as fast as she can, trying to defend both she and Korra from the falling columns and arches.

"Ikki, go without me! You're gonna die! Ikki!" Korra screams as she sees the little girl turn around again to airbend away the rocks that Korra is not managing to avoid on her own.

"You'll die if I don't!"

And it is settled. Ikki is not leaving Korra, and so Korra has to get them both out of here as fast as she can.

But as they almost escape the earthquake-torn rubble, they find another blockade.

It is much worse than the rubble.

Nearby, Asami waits for a few heartbeats as she watches for the other careers, wondering if she should start running now or not. But then Mako, Kuvira and Ginger pop up from the ruins and Asami shoves herself out of her hideaway. They still might be her best chance of survival.

"That was close," Ginger announces too soon.

Much too soon; the next sound is a metal _scuttling_. Asami looks over her shoulder and sees _spider-like_ things that have these glowing, glaring red eyes and glinting metal casing.

"Run!" Mako bellows, and he does not have to tell Asami twice.

Asami runs as fast as she can. She and the careers emerge from the rubble and see two other tributes running away from the same beasts in the other direction. They are dusted by the rubble as well, and Kuvira races directly at them.

It is Korra and the little girl.

Asami swallows as she hears Ginger's scream and the sound of a cannon. Mako shoves Asami forward and she runs with him until she cannot breathe anymore.

Without a second thought, she dives down and ducks beneath the rubble. She can hear the scuttling of the electronic beasts and still smell the smoke, along with her own racing heartbeat, as she closes herself into the small inlet amongst the broken buildings.

Mako and Kuvira have gone running, abandoning Ginger in a flash. Asami can hear Korra yell in pain and she squeezes her eyes shut. She opens them very slowly when she hears a faint buzzing. A faint _buzzing_ beneath the sound of a humongous brawl.

She glances up. It's a camera. Asami has the sudden realization that she is being watched; they want her to do something, and Asami knows exactly what.

They want her to save Korra again.

She considers her fate for a moment, and then she directs her face slightly towards the camera and gives the audience the best contorted expression of fear she can before forcing herself out of her hiding place and jumping up.

The clash is between the two careers, the little airbending girl, and Korra. Asami goes unnoticed as she runs and jumps across the broken rocks, carefully skipping around the fallen robots; they could still leap up, she knows. Ginger's body is still there, not taken by the hovercrafts yet. Asami was right; they expect at least one more death in this altercation.

Fire licks at Asami's frantic hands as she grabs Ginger's bag and weapons. The easiest to use are the little Caldera Cocktails in the metal cases. Asami does not know how to swordfight, nor is she the best marksman, but she feels comfort when she sees the insignia on the small bombs.

She runs towards the scene. Kuvira has Korra pinned to the ground and a fire whirl is created from Mako and Ikki's fight.

Asami grabs the stupid slingshot in her pocket and slides the first cocktail into it. With one fast finger, she turns it on, waits for it to start beeping and…

She releases.

A loud bang precedes the smoke that bursts from the collision spot. Asami steps back, moving back towards her hiding spot as the smoke clears.

Mako and Kuvira are both running into the distance, Kuvira coughing as Mako helps her through the smoke and sparks. Korra is kneeling and Asami puts one hand over her mouth; she cannot have killed her. No, no, no.

But Asami did not kill her.

She killed the little girl.

Asami thinks she is going to throw up.

The action is undoable but she wishes that she could take it back. Her legs freeze; she wants to run from the scene of the crime, but the canon _bangs_ , reverberating around the arena and cementing her in place out of fear.

Korra runs forward towards the little girl with a wordless cry and Asami stumbles backwards, falling into the bushes and earning several scratches from the branches. She is about to push herself up and run away, but then everything changes.

The wind picks up and becomes strong enough to nearly blow Asami away. Her jaw drops as she sees Korra's eyes glow bright blue and her arms rise. The rocks move with her and Asami has no idea what is happening, until she sees Korra, Korra who seems possessed by blue light, pushing out two hands in a firebending motion. She ends the flames left from the explosion, and then the wind from her palms forces all of the smoke away for good.

Asami stares despite her stinging eyes and sees the ground shake again. But it is not an earthquake; Korra has shoved the rocks forward, entombing the body of the little airbending girl. It looks more like protection than a funeral, but either way, Asami realizes that whatever is happening is happening because of Ikki's death.

The rubble shifts with Korra's motions, the dust disappears when she wants it to, water bursts from beneath the ground and washes the stones until they glisten. And the grand finale is when Korra turns towards Mako and Kuvira, and the forest they are dashing towards combusts in powerful flames.

No, no, this is not the gamemakers.

This is…

Asami _knows_ what this is even if it makes no sense.

This is…

Asami walks forward, away from her potential hiding place. She does not know what is happening to Korra, but it makes her cry, and she does not care if the entire world sees her. It is her fault, and so she slowly walks forward and finds the hand of the girl who has torn into the elements.

 _The Avatar_ , echoes in Asami's head, but _"_ Korra," is what comes out of her lips.

She takes her hand, and holds her, until they both sink.

Asami Sato has the unconscious Avatar resting on her lap, and the body of a twelve-year-old girl she killed mere feet away from her in a glistening tomb of bright white stone.


	5. Book 1: Leaves from the Vine

**Chapter Five  
Leaves from the Vine  
**

 _But I  
I love it when you sing to me._  
 _And you  
You can sing me anything.  
"The Book of Love" - Peter Gabriel  
_

* * *

 ** _The 70th Harmony Games_**

 _In their home in the Victor's Village, Azula brushes Asami's hair behind her ear and helps her into her bed._

 _"Sing to me," Asami begs and Azula looks at the floor. She wants to say no, but today is not the day to deny her. Tomorrow, Azula knows what she is going to do._

 _"Okay," Azula whispers. "Leaves from the vine / falling so slow / like fragile tiny shells drifting in the foam / little soldier boy come marching home…"_

 _Asami sleeps well that night._

 _But in the morning, her sister volunteers for the Harmony Games._

[X]

 _Not long after, Azula finds herself with an unlikely ally. She has tried to remain alone and pick off the tributes one by one while they least expect it, but she runs into a little girl who reminds her a lot of her sister. Azula lowers her two fingers and sighs; she cannot do this. She then clenches her fist out of self-loathing; it would be best to put the girl out of her misery before someone could kill her in a more painful way than lightning._

 _"Are you..." The girl's eyes glisten. "Are you going to kill me?"_

 _Azula swallows._

 _"No," she admits. "No. I'm not. You can... travel with me for a little while."_

 _She should not have said that part. Why did she say that part?_

 _"Thank you," whispers the girl._

 _Azula knows she will live to regret this. Only one of them can make it out of this arena._

[X]

 _Azula knees her district partner in the gut and grabs his sword. With one harsh move, she slashes his neck and his head topples from his shoulders and rolls across the ground. She stares at the gory scene for a moment, knowing that the people in District 2 will forever hate her. Killing your own district partner is more than a faux pas; it is traitorous._

 _"Azula..." whispers the girl he_ stabbed _._

 _She kneels down beside the little girl.  
_

 _"You're fine. You're safe," Azula says, setting her hand on the girl's shoulder._

 _"It hurts," the girl whispers._

 _"I know," Azula says, feeling her heart pound. She thinks of Asami; she cannot help but think of Asami. Azula reaches in her pack and pulls out a syringe and small bottle. It is the painkillers a sponsor sent her earlier, the ones she never used. The dose might be enough to kill her, which Azula hopes for. "This will help."_

 _Azula, with shaking hands, draws the medicine from the bottle and injects it in her companion's neck. She pulls it out and sets the needle down._

 _"I'm tired," says the little girl._

 _"Just close your eyes. I'll..." Azula swallows. She tries to think of what her little sister would want in this situation, which only makes it harder. "I'll sing to you," she suggests, as Asami would certainly ask for that. "Or something. Would you like that?"_

 _"Yes," hoarsely whispers the little one._

 _Azula brushes the girl's sweaty bangs from her face and softly sings, "_ _Leaves from the vine / falling so slow / like fragile tiny shells drifting in the foam / little soldier boy come marching home…"_

 _A cannon fires. It certainly does not wake up the little girl who fell asleep and drifted beyond the world of dreams. Azula sits down and stares at the grass, then at her bloody hands. She left marks of red on the little girl's skin, but the little girl is doused in her own blood anyway. It makes Azula sick._

 _She knew this had to happen. She made the mistake of getting attached to someone, and, when that happens, they always get taken away._

 _The Universe will never allow Azula to love._

* * *

"I would like you to look at something," Ozai says to his dear daughter.

Azula sits across from him in his office, now extra serious after accidentally smirking when she noticed his desk is mahogany. He has brought up a screen that is clear at first, but it is not clear for long; it now shows a riot in the streets of her home district.

"That is… strange." Azula takes a slow, deep breath in through her mouth.

"That is not _strange_. That is what happens when _the Avatar_ ‒ who allegedly died almost a century ago ‒ is reincarnated and reveals herself on live television," Ozai says without removing his eyes from his daughter. "It was broadcast throughout all of the United Republic. Mandatory viewing."

"We can kill her, can't we?" Azula wishes she had a better response.

"If we _kill her_ she becomes reincarnated. It isn't as if mass genocide is an option like it was for _our_ ancestors. Due to the efforts of my father and his father, the nations have interbred to the point in which the Avatar could be _anyone_ ," Ozai says coldly.

Azula wrings her hands. "So, if we don't kill her, what do we do? I wanted her dead."

"I know that. That's why you're not in handcuffs, girl," he says brusquely, the _finesse_ façade he upholds daily vanishing.

It does that sometimes. He might hide his true nature behind art and flowers and the _royal we_ but he has always been nothing more than a brute with a tyrannical regime.

Azula clears her throat. "Right."

"Well, if I have to choose between killing her or letting her live and become a beacon for resistance, I'll have to kill her. But we do it in the right way. I was hoping for that sister of yours to get killed, but that is now the exact opposite of what I want done. She killed the little girl," Ozai says, pausing as if that still needs to sink in. "I like the idea of her killing her little true love too. That gives a distracting narrative that will divert attention from the Avatar's death. Sweet little Asami Sato, third victor in a family, just _had_ to kill her love and will sob and sob about it in the interviews. Even the Districts will pay more attention to her than to Korra."

"And how do I make her do that? Give her a note? She needs to get through the other remaining tributes too. Korra still is resurrected ‒"

"You make her do it in self-defense. It's the only way. That _also_ adds the benefit of painting Korra in an unflattering light, much like my grandfather did to the Avatar."

"You want Korra to go into a rage about the little air girl and attempt to kill Asami." Azula doesn't know if that is the best idea, but it certainly would look better than an impromptu tsunami.

"Something like that. I've seen her. She's blunt, brash and has no head for anything but punching her way to victory. I have made the districts hate much more likable icons, Girl on Fire," Ozai says and Azula notices the little reminder.

He would not have needed to slander the Girl on Fire. She is his daughter, and that is enough to quench any flame singing a child to sleep may have sparked.

"Well, wars can be won or lost in the editing room," Azula says with a pretty smile. She leans back and tries to calm her racing heart. It had to be from _her district_. The Avatar had to be from _her district_.

"That they can."

He looks comforted by her cooperation, as if she would be stupid enough not to obey.

Azula sighs in relief.

* * *

In the arena, Asami runs, runs, runs.

Korra was on her lap, unconscious, when it truly sank in that this is the _Avatar_ she has seen. Asami has seen the recordings, has learned about that airbending man so long ago. Maybe she doesn't even really remember those, but it overwhelmed her to the core to witness the beauty and horror of what overcame her brash but cute district partner.

 _"Sato, hurry up!"_ Mako had shouted, and now she has finally caught up with he and Kuvira.

Asami takes in a huge breath. "Did you… was that the Avatar?" Asami asks them.

"She's _your_ district partner," Mako replies breathlessly. "But… yeah… that looked like the old vids."

"That can't be fair," Kuvira says calmly, despite the sweat glistening on her skin. "We can't fight the _Avatar_. If she even _is_ the Avatar."

"She's Korra," Asami says, and she doesn't really know what those words mean yet. They just feel right in her mouth. "You guys can beat her, I'm sure."

Mako looks skeptical. Kuvira doesn't.

Meanwhile, Korra wakes up with damp drool on the corner of her mouth. She has no idea what just happened, but she sees a disrupted arena and a pure white stone. Slowly, Korra stands up and walks towards the stone. She doesn't understand what is happening; she thinks maybe it is a trick from the gamemakers.

But then she touches her fingertips to the stone and sees that it is a tomb. It is a tomb and Ikki is inside of it and Korra breaks down crying, bawling like a baby. Somehow, she manages to take a few deep breaths and calm down.

Ikki can't have. She can't.

Korra looks at Ikki in there and runs her hand across the perfectly smoothed casket.

Maybe she has died too. She climbs up onto the tomb and looks around the arena. There is no one in sight, but the forest to the right is still burning. Eska might show up and try to stab her to death with ice again. Maybe Ikki's district partner will kill her for letting the little girl die.

They knew each other for two days, but Korra saw more life in that girl than she had in anyone before.

Korra touches the stone and refuses to remove her hand.

She will when the gamemakers send a mutt to rip her head off. Until then, she is not leaving Ikki. Going to the tower feels wrong now.

* * *

"Your girl is in trouble," says Hama and Azula wakes with a start.

She fell asleep after tripling her dose of lorezapam. Ikki struck a nerve that Azula successfully kept buried for years.

Those are the last words she wanted to wake up to hear. She sits up on the sofa in the District 2 Suite and stares directly at the television. Asami is on it; she is being attacked by her allies. Azula had no idea she even fell asleep here, and so she battles disorientation along with the fear of Asami getting beaten to a pulp.

Hama says, "They were hunting for the District 7 boy. They turned on her when they realized they wouldn't find him."

Azula's lips part as she sees Asami fighting tooth and nail against Kuvira and Mako.

"Is she dead?" Azula whispers to Hama, but her question is answered by a _growling_ sound. Mutts. Azula's stomach clenches and she tries not to scream or vomit.

But they pass up the girl bleeding into the dry, cracked ground and chase Mako and Kuvira deep into the ruins, away from the tower.

Asami is still bleeding out and Varrick is already commenting on her death. Azula stands up and feels sick.

"I can't watch this." Azula shakes her head, stands up, and goes to her bedroom.

When she looks at her hands, she can see the blood spreading up them. She closes her eyes, because she does not want to see the dead too.

She draws her knees to her chest and hides her tears behind them.

In her mind, she withdraws a syringe from a bag. She sees a little half dead corpse. She sees Ikki then. She sees Asami next.

When she moves to inject the painkillers in Asami's neck, she slashes her throat by mistake.

* * *

This is the end. That is the only thought that crosses Asami's mind as she feels the metal pierce into her side. The pain is not nearly as bad as her shock as she gasps for breath and stumbles backwards.

 _Alliances don't last forever_. Asami dodges an attack that comes next, and then another in a panic. Kuvira lands another gash on her arm and Asami breaks at least two fingers before something snaps in the ruins to the left.

Neither Kuvira nor Mako stick around as Asami bleeds into the dry, cracked ground. Her breathing is labored and they murmur something about her being easy to track even if she does live through the blood loss.

They bolt off to go track down whoever crushed a rock, and Asami tries to break her daze. But she cannot, because this is the end.

Asami lies with her eyes closed and her breath rattling. She does not know how much time passes, but it feels like more than an eternity. Thoughts about the present disappear as she surrenders to her probable death. She tries to think about the past. Aren't people supposed to see their life flash before their eyes before they die?

Her memories feel more like colors as she tries to remember them: the monochrome grey of the reaping, the white lights as the train zipped through the country, the bright and brilliant cerulean of the fire on her dress, the raw orange of the desert arena, red of blood. The grey cities of home, the bright gold pin, Ty Lee's bubble gum pink wardrobe, the crimson hue of her mentor's sharp nails.

Blue, blue, Asami tries to think of blue. The fierce cerulean of the fire on her dress that earned her a nickname... the sapphire blue of the two familiar eyes now looking down at her. Korra's eyes. And suddenly, Korra's voice, "Need a little help, Sato?"

Asami chokes and her eyes flash open. The light of the sun reflecting on the yellow ground is blinding for a moment before she sees her district partner standing above her.

"Korra?" Asami asks quietly and the Avatar nods before extending a hand.

Asami takes it, but can barely get to her feet. And so Korra grabs her before she can fight or scream, and hoists her up onto her back. Loosely, Asami drapes her arms over Korra's shoulders, and Korra wears her like a very cute backpack.

Korra can feel the blood on her uniform, however, and there is enough of it that it seeps through the beige fabric and makes her skin damp. She swallows; Asami does not have much time left if she doesn't do something fast.

And so, Korra looks up at the tower in the distance and takes a deep breath. She begins to run as fast as she can go.

* * *

The television blares. Hama has turned it back on and Azula wants to kill her for being so old and needing the volume so high.

Until she hears Varrick's blathering. "A twist no one imaged! Korra has returned for her gal! Where are they going? I have no idea. But this is one exciting development, isn't it?"

Azula gasps. She didn't expect that move in a thousand years. But there is no way that Korra can help Asami if she doesn't have medicine or assistance from sponsors.

And so, Azula gets dressed with shaking hands.

She makes her way to the pretty white room within minutes. All eyes are on her and it makes her job easier by a significant margin. She strides towards the table and sits down among people she knows from the haute parties held at the Presidential Palace.

Asami will live.

Azula has not failed yet.

* * *

 **65th Harmony Games, Final Day in the Capitol  
**

 _"My advisors are concerned that, judging by the Games, you will be difficult," says Ozai. He has Mai for one more night, and then she will go home, where she may do something dangerous. "But you're not planning on being difficult, are you?"_

 _"No," Mai deadpans._

 _"That's what I thought. I told them that any girl who goes to such lengths to save her own life isn't going to be interested in throwing it away with both hands. But, I unfortunately can't just discard what you've caused by your words and actions in the arena," Ozai says._

 _She touches it to her lips and pretends to drink it. He suppresses a laugh and pretends he believes her._

 _"I did what I did to survive," Mai deadpans._

 _"I know. Other people, however, aren't reacting the same way. You see, in your games, you defied the Capitol. Your play style was… unique that way. Numerous actions of yours had the potential to inspire acts of… insurrection." Ozai cannot get the image of the District 9 attempted bombing out of his head. They could have blown the dam if they were successful.  
_

 _Mai sets down her tea. "I don't want to do that. I don't know why anyone would interpret me as that."_

 _Ozai looks her up and down. "I believe you. The rebels, however, need an icon and you just stumbled into their lap."_

 _Mai squirms uncomfortably. She doesn't know if she is making it out of this office alive. He doesn't either._

 _"What do you want me to do?" Mai asks quietly, flatly, trying to protect herself with a shield of dispassion._

 _"I want to make you undesirable to the resistance by making you_ my _icon. You will show the world that you do not scare the Capitol, and that your acts of defiance were acts of desperation. You will be the prime example of the Capitol's generosity," Ozai says. She thinks there is more to it, but she does not want to ask._

 _"I'll be a Capitol pet. Give me to whoever you want. I don't care," Mai says, swallowing. She would rather be the arm candy of some Capitol jerk than dead. Or her brother dead._

 _"That is exactly what I have in mind, save with more propaganda." Pause. "Have you ever seen an opera?"_

 _"An… opera…?" Mai is confused now._

 _"Why don't you come with me? No one goes alone," Ozai says and Mai remembers what Zuko talked about after his meeting with the president. It made her feel sick and she could not believe him.  
_

 _"Am I your date?" Mai asks, because she wants him to say it aloud before she makes assumptions. Maybe Zuko was wrong or Ozai was lying._

 _"Yes. There will be cameras. This will be the first of many carefully planned appearances that turn you into my icon."_

 _"What do I do?" Mai whispers._

 _"Convince them that the greatest prize of the Harmony Games is the gift of love," Ozai says, locking eyes with her. His are golden, molten, and staring into her shivering soul. They also make her queasy.  
_

 _She knows what he means. He wants her to pretend to be in love with him, he wants her to have some dreamy relationship with him and forever brand her as a traitor to the districts._

 _That aside, Mai answers, "I'll convince them."_

 _"Aim higher," Ozai growls, somehow unimpressed._

 _"What's higher than that?"_

 _"Convince_ me _." Pause. "I'll send for you at eight."_

* * *

In the arena, Korra helps Asami lie down as the sun begins to set. They are nestled among dilapidated walls adorned with crumbling streaks of paint. Asami closes her eyes and Korra feels her heart skip a beat from panic. But Asami is not dead; she is just exhausted.

"So, why did your allies do that to you?" Korra asks as she tries to think of how she can help Asami. She never learned healing like a total idiot. _Healing's dumb!_ she now regrets saying.

Asami takes a deep breath. It hurts worse than anything she has ever felt.

"Because they're scared. You're the Avatar and…" Asami trails off.

"What?" Korra asks, her eyes wide. "That's a joke. I'm not _the Avatar_. There _isn't_ an Avatar."

Asami's lips part in shock. "How don't you know? I saw you bend all four elements. That's how you made the little girl's… tomb. Mako and Kuvira are horrified because they saw it to. Your eyes started to glow and you just flew up into the air and started to…"

Korra shakes her head. "No. No, I'm not the Avatar. There _is not an Avatar_. The cycle got broken."

Asami sighs and tries to figure out how to explain it. Of course someone wouldn't believe you if you tell them that they are an allegedly extinct being. And so Asami says what she knows explains it best.

"You know I'm into science and math and all of that, right?" Asami says and Korra nods. "Well, if you let a complex cycle repeat itself enough times, something surprising is bound to happen. It's just the basic law of averages."

Korra has no idea what a _law of averages_ is. But she does remember what Hama said when they passed the statue of the Avatar at the Tribute Center on the night they arrived. On the night they kissed. That cycles break.

"Maybe they do." Korra shrugs. "You're way smarter than me. But I can't be…"

"Bend this." Asami holds up a rock and Korra laughs. " _Bend this_. Then you know, right?"

Korra holds up her hand. She has only seen earthbending on television before. She would have a better time trying firebending, she supposes; she had a bunch of them who did probending with her.

She moves her hand. Focuses. Tries to breathe like she did when she started waterbending.

The rock lifts. The rock moves. The rock bends with Korra's motion and she feels sick. Fire; she tries fire next. It takes her much longer than the earth, and she only manages to make smoke. Maybe that is from her panic, or maybe because she is… _was_ a waterbender.

Air is the easiest, but when she feels herself imitating Ikki's movement when making a breeze, she sinks to her knees.

"I can't do any more," she whispers, because her heart is now heavier than it has ever been.

"You don't need to do any more," Asami says quietly, still in awe.

Korra just bent three out of four elements, and she could bend water before. Korra is the Avatar, even if that doesn't make sense to her or Asami. Korra didn't do it _well_ , but she did it.

Asami sees a silver package. Her eyes flash wide; it is from their sponsors. Of _course_ it is from sponsors; the Avatar is working alongside her now. Anyone would bet on Korra after seeing her almost destroy the arena, and now have the revelation that she can bend all four elements.

She opens it and inside is medicine, bandages and two empty water bottles accompanied by iodine packets.

Asami looks up at Korra as the Avatar reaches forward and begins to help Asami dress her wound. The medicine sizzles and burns, but when it settles, Asami's skin is knitting itself together. The scar is ugly; it almost looks cauterized, but it relieves her pain at the same time. Korra helps her with the bandages after helping her open her shirt. It makes Korra blush, but she stays focuses on making sure Asami stays alive.

"I'm going to fill these water bottles, okay? If I'm not back in twenty minutes…" Korra doesn't want to think about that, and so she just climbs up and reluctantly leaves Asami behind with the bottles in hand.

She runs as fast as she can towards the pool that Ikki showed her. Korra has never been so nimble before in her life. On her back, she can feel Asami's blood on drying, in her head, she cannot stop hearing the explosion from Kuvira and Mako that killed Ikki.

Korra finds the crater again as night falls. She leaps down into it and attempts the airbending she saw Ikki do to no avail. Korra just stumbles and nearly falls into the water. Maybe the Avatar thing was a fluke. No…

No, bending those elements was not a _fluke_. Korra cannot process it as she fills the bottles as quickly as she can and then stops to catch her breath. She stops for too long; above her she hears footsteps. Korra looks around frantically for whoever is descending on her, and she is answered by the pool turning to ice.

She runs. Korra runs because all she can do is run at this point, because the ice shatters and comes towards her face like knives. On her way to the top of the crater, she manages to fit the caps onto the water bottles in the nick of time.

Eska catches up to her and blades of ice narrowly miss Korra as she dodges and rolls and at last stops running. She can't keep running and so she melts the ice and tries to make a shield. Eska breaks it without even stopping to stand still.

Korra rolls over and tries to grab the water before Eska can, but she is too slow. One of the bottles she clutches bursts open and she snatches it as it begins to morph into another blade. Korra grabs it and forms one of her own. She throws it towards Eska and Eska catches it in one hand.

And Korra hisses through her teeth, because she knows when she is screwed.

The Avatar flashes into a panic when a handcuff of ice forms around her wrist, pinning her to the dry ground. She kicks down her leg and pushes herself up by brute force. Korra can't sacrifice the second bottle of water; she and Asami need it. She wastes much of her energy trying to keep it out of the grasp of the waterbender who is making her dance.

The minute Korra stands up, she is caught in an ice prison. As she begins to free herself, Korra sees a deathblow, and then watches it shatter from the side. Fire. It was a blast of fire that hit it.

"Run!" shouts a male voice and Korra suddenly recognizes the scene.

Ikki. This is how she freed Ikki before. And there is her district partner, running at Eska with fire blazing on his fists. Korra escapes the ice and runs for the hills, heading in the opposite direction of Asami to make sure that neither of them can follow her to that hideaway.

Korra hears a cannon fire as soon as she reaches a column to hide behind.

She counts to four under her breath before the Capitol anthem blares in the sky. They must have been _waiting_ for either Korra, Lu Ten or Eska to die, because it has been dark for at least half an hour now. Unless something worse is happening in the arena. Korra feels her heart pound.

There are five of them left. The gamemakers will force a finale soon.

Up in the sky, the images flash. Ginger. Ikki. Lu Ten. The outro anthem. Darkness falls.

Korra sinks down and clutches her knees to her chest.

In the morning, Korra wakes to the sunlight hitting her eyelids. She takes several deep breaths, feeling a burning sensation inside of her ribs. Her eyelashes flutter as she takes in her surroundings.

Asami is five broken buildings away. Korra has one grimy bottle of water in her lap. That will have to be enough for now, because she doesn't think she is ever getting the other one back.

Meanwhile, Asami is forcing herself to stagger across the arena. Her only relief is that Korra's face was not in the sky last night, and that she has not heard a cannon all day. Her only worry is that Mako, Kuvira and Eska's faces were not in the sky last night, and that she has not heard a cannon all day.

She stumbles to a stop when she hears two familiar voices. Asami glances around and finds an alcove, but it's a brief climb. Her wounds aren't bad enough to hold her back, and so she drags herself up into what once must have been a window, and she crawls inside.

Below her, unaware of her presence, are Mako and Kuvira.

"Both of them are still out there. And I bet lovebird is helping the Avatar," Kuvira says coolly and Asami still admires her _calmness_ in this hellhole.

"I'm way more worried about Eska," Mako says earnestly as they pass right under Asami. She swallows and holds her breath, praying to every spirit that they don't notice her. "She's racked up a lot of kills and doesn't have anybody to protect. If we get Korra we get Asami, if we get Asami we get Korra."

Asami displaces herself and her foot makes a scraping sound. Kuvira glances around but not up. Mako… Mako narrows his eyes and Asami holds back a scream. Her eyes drift downwards as she feels the looseness of the pin on her chest.

Oh no. Korra had removed her shirt and it must have gotten dislodged. Oh no.

It falls and Asami will fall too if she reaches out and grabs it. The sound is tiny as it hits the ground. She swallows and then bites her lower lip. Mako walks towards it and picks it up. Asami's heart is pounding out of her chest; she wonders if they can hear it beating. He stares at the phoenix pin and Asami hears the small buzz of the cameras.

He looks up and his eyes bulge when he sees her.

Asami gazes at him, making a silent plea. Mako pockets the pin as Kuvira taps his arm and he turns away without saying a word about Asami. She waits in terror until they have finally walked away and she can crawl around the side of this crumbling wall.

She feels naked without the pin, but she doesn't think about it for much longer when she has to stop her crawl. Korra. There's Korra making her way through the ruins. There's Mako and Kuvira walking directly towards her. They are all unaware of their imminent collision and Asami opens her mouth to call out, but she closes it again.

If they fight… Asami has a much higher chance of living.

But it kills her to see this. Korra is the only reason she is alive right now, and so she seeks out anything she can use to help her. At first she sees a rock, but when she pushes on it, she doesn't have the brute strength.

Buzzing. Asami hears buzzing. It is not the hum of electronics, like the cameras… it is…

Mothwasps. There's a nest that blends in seamlessly with the beige dust and tope buildings. She stares at it, and then down at the trio about to meet head on. Asami licks her lips and picks up her slingshot, stopping to grab a rock and then backing away. She squeezes her eyes and pulls back. The stone misses. Ugh. The next one misses too. But the third one hits the nest.

The third one punctures the nest just as Mako and Kuvira notice Korra. But before they can initiate a fight, the mothwasps descend on all three of them. Asami jumps down and tries to run towards Korra. She can hardly hear over the horrifying sound.

Korra's scream is distinct. Asami feels two pricks in her skin that at first seem like nothing, but then are the most agonizing sensation she has ever experienced before in her life. She gasps for breath as she screams out, "Korra, Korra come on!" as loudly as she can.

Mako and Kuvira are too busy fighting the vicious mutts; Mako is having some success burning them, but Kuvira has fallen silent. No cannon, unfortunately. Korra has enough energy to find Asami and try to ignore the fact that she just wants to curl up and let them finish stinging her to death.

Asami grabs Korra's hand and Korra yelps from the pressure on the stings.

"Korra, just come on!" Asami shrieks, tugging at the Avatar.

They escape, but not unharmed.

* * *

In the Capitol, Ty Lee didn't like Azula's reaction to Korra, Mako and Kuvira's hallucinations. She has been waffling about if she should try talking to Azula or not. She settles on the former.

"Azula," whispers Ty Lee as she knocks on the bathroom door. "Azula, they made it to the tower."

Ty Lee pushes on the door, hoping she is not interrupting anything. She is. Azula has her hands running under water as she struggles to keep a handle on herself. They are rubbed raw and Ty Lee chews on her lip.

She has heard Azula screaming in her sleep, not that they've slept together since the night they are pretending didn't happen. But she has never seen anything like this. The beautiful victor, usually so well-groomed by expert stylists, is disheveled and coated in a thin layer of sweat.

"Azula…" Ty Lee doesn't have other words.

"I'm fine. Go away." Azula sees that Ty Lee is not obeying, and so she reaches up to slam the door shut.

Azula sinks down onto the bathroom floor, trying to hide how unnerved she is by the kids having hallucinations. Trying to hide how she thought she saw her mother. Again. It's always the dead, after all. Dead tributes. Dead mother. Dead Asami. Corpses with blood dripping from their lips. And sometimes she sees blood all over herself, like webbing up her arms from her fingers.

Those are not rare for her.

No matter how hard she washes her hands or tells herself that the dead can't hurt her, it doesn't go away easily.

Ty Lee sits down quietly, removing her high heels, and sits with her back on the other side of the door. Maybe Azula thinks she doesn't need her, but she does.

They remain like that for too long.

* * *

In the arena, Korra lies down in the tower and she has finally exited the worst hallucination, the one with her family and Naga and everyone _dead_.

"It's okay, Korra. They sent more water. This time not just bottles," Asami says as she sets aside the cloth from the parachute to use on their shelter.

She has begun to build a little home for the two of them up here. There is a cracked bell in the center that she can't manage to turn over, but she knows Korra can. That would make a good place for collecting water, or striking up a fire, or _something_. Asami _has_ , however, managed to begin covering the wide windows that expose them to the elements or other tributes.

"Do you remember how we first met?" Asami asks weakly.

"Yeah. But it wasn't really," Korra says softly as she rubs at her sweaty face. "I used to watch you sometimes."

Asami cocks an eyebrow. "I thought I was the one with the secret crush on _you_."

Korra laughs. It turns into a cough about halfway through.

"I thought you were really pretty, is it. You had a nice voice and _really_ nice hair and you always dressed like you were going somewhere fancy but you never really were. There isn't anywhere fancy in District 2." Korra laughs again. "And you were the only kid with a bike. I used to think about stealing it but my parents would kill me if I did."

Silence.

Asami says, "I wanted to tell you something…"

"Uh-huh?" Korra asks, trying to keep her eyes open.

"Remember that probending match you invited me to?" Asami inquires and Korra nods, her eyes now closed. But she is awake. "I went to it. I waited for you outside but the minute you got there… I kinda ran away."

Korra coughs. She doesn't want to think about that probending match ever again.

"I should go to sleep," Korra says and Asami's blushes, ashamed that she mentioned it.

"Can I help you?" Asami asks hopefully.

Silence.

"You can sing to me," Korra croaks through her pain. It is somehow worse than the hallucinations to feel this weak and sore.

Asami hesitates and swallows. She knows only one lullaby, and she has not heard it since Azula's games. Hiroshi said that it was a bad idea for her to let anyone hear it again, and so no one did.

"Leaves from the vine / falling so slow / like fragile tiny shells drifting in the foam / little soldier boy come marching home / brave soldier boy / comes marching home…" Asami sings softly as she combs her fingers through Korra's soft hair.

Korra stirs very slightly, but then her body eases and she is safely asleep.

Asami looks around the tower and then begins to create a small fortress for she and Korra to wait out the games.

* * *

In the Capitol, Mai sits at breakfast with Mimi beside her biting into a pastry, and the president with his eyes on her.

It's Azula. It's Azula's song, and the Avatar, and the danger of what is stirring in the districts. This has happened before, but it has never involved _the Avatar_.

Mai looks at Ikki, and exhales softly through her mouth.

She has to do something. She has to be like Azula and take matters into her own hands.

And so, at the dinner party tonight, she has a plan buzzing in her brain.

The famous _Hanging Tree_ painting is the current focal piece of art in the Presidential Dining Room rotation. It changes every two weeks or so to something else priceless. President Shinohai likes to own beautiful things; art, roses, young women whose hearts are pounding about the treason they are going to commit before dessert.

Katara stares at how the left noose in the painting makes a halo around Mai's head. The waterbender chews on her lower lip instead of her food as she watches the debate behind her friend's eyes. She senses her panic, and can only hope that no one else does.

She and Zuko promised to cover for Mai, whatever she is doing. Katara assumes it is something to do with the Avatar, and that she shouldn't ask. Mai just made them promise they would make sure her absence went unnoticed, and that absence hasn't happened yet.

Dinner has ended, successfully without mention of the Avatar State incident. No one is foolish enough to bring it up; The Capitol is abuzz, but the politicians and game makers know that talk of it belongs in sewing circles and not the Presidential Palace.

Azula and Ty Lee stand in front of a painting, Ty Lee trying her best to distract her victor from panicking.

" _Ooo_ ," Ty Lee says in her most exaggerated Capitol accent, "I think that this painting's composition is quite exquisite with the… red…"

Ty Lee blushes, feeling regret twisting in her stomach, but Azula is laughing softly.

"What's going on over there?" Azula whispers, narrowing her eyes at Mai, Zuko, Katara and the group rich donors that they are honoring with their presence. Ozai is among them.

Mai stands up and says softly to the president, "I'm getting myself another drink."

She takes his half full glass and he doesn't seem to notice her shaking. He is very, very focused on Zuko and Katara, in a quite negative way. Mai takes four steps and staggers slightly, and promptly falls down and red wine splashes all over her white dress and douses the whiter carpet.

Stammering from the guests, one woman helps Mai to her feet.

"I'm going to change," Mai says, and she walks away, forgetting to stumble at all in her heels.

"She's drunk. It's not startling," Ty Lee whispers.

"She's been acting strangely all day." Azula peels her eyes away; she has more important things to worry about than Mai likely just coming up with excuses to avoid talking to people.

Ty Lee returns to her mockery of the Capitol for Azula's amusement.

Upstairs, Mai brushes past slaves who certainly will not say a word about what she is doing. She walks to the master bedroom and takes two deep breaths. Why is she doing this? She cannot believe she is burglarizing her own house.

She walks past her closet and to the expansive marble bathroom. Her eyes survey the room in a panic before she finds the mirror that hides the real "medicine" cabinet and pries it open with her fingernails.

Mai knows what she is looking for, but she struggles to find it. She is too lightheaded, even though she isn't even buzzed yet.

Finally, she finds it. The prettiest, most blatant bottle of poison there is. The nightlock extract. She hears the door and shoves it into her bra.

"It's me. Relax," says Azula and Mai exhales sharply.

She has no intention of saying a word when she is perpetually hounded by spies, but Azula isn't going to tattle if she sees something suspicious. Mai quietly closes the cabinet, removes her dress and replaces it with a robe.

Azula watches her, and if she thinks there is anything strange going on, she doesn't mention it.

"Katara is playing piano. She's good but it's pathetic how she has to pander to those people," Azula remarks. "It's also unfortunate how she has to kiss Zuko for them. _That_ is how a rebellion dies, isn't it?"

Azula cocks an eyebrow. Mai has no idea what she is saying.

"If you're talking about your Avatar tribute, I want nothing to do with her. I've had enough _rebellion killing_ for several lifetimes," Mai says coldly.

"I hoped so." Azula smirks.

Mai thinks Azula might want her to do the opposite of rebellion killing.

That is much more disconcerting coming from _her_ lips.

She is halfway out the door before she realizes that Azula's lips are the most likely ones to be talking about quelling rebellions. No one puts too much thought into a volunteer who played the games like she did and basked in her glory, but Mai also knows that playing the games like Azula does would attract the wrong kind of attention.

Mai shakes her head and walks towards the door as quickly as possible, ready to hide what she stole in the courtyard until she can make use of it.

In the morning, Azula sighs and turns off the games for the first time this year. She needs a stiff drink and a nap. Or several of both.

"Look at them playing house instead of trying to _win_. It's pathetic. I have no idea why anyone would fear them," Azula snaps as she watches Asami dressing Korra's wound for the second time. The saddest thing is that she isn't watching the feed tailored to her district; this is what _everyone_ is seeing.

"They're more powerful than you think, Azula. We live in a hopeless time in a pointless world in which there's nothing worth fighting for," Hama says with an amused smile. "The Avatar gives people hope. So does love. It's a killer combination…"

"I have no idea what cryptic nonsense that is, but I don't want to hear it. I'm going to the victor's lounge," Azula says sharply, finding her purse and leaving as quickly as she can.

Everyone wants to hear about the Avatar, thrilled about this twist in events. And, smugly, Azula accepts the unending flood of sponsors who want a part in _the Avatar_ and her games.

The next day at a café table for sponsors, "Ty Lee," Mai says slowly and softly. The severity in her tone is much more unnerving than her usual impassiveness. "I need you to give this to Azula, and I need you to do it privately without discussing it. You're the only person who can do this without arousing any suspicion."

The escort swallows nervously. This is extremely bad, and Ty Lee can feel herself suffocating. She _knows_ Korra and Asami are making waves, but Mai is handing her a small crystal bottle filled with clear liquid that would seem like water if it weren't for a slightly different consistency.

"Okay," Ty Lee says, knowing better than to ask what it is, or open the note that is pinned to the ornate cork.

Mai gazes after her as she walks away from the sponsor tables, shaking, trying to find her sort-of-girlfriend. She cannot believe she is putting her life and the lives of people she loves into the hands of that girl in the fluffy pink dress, but she does not have much of a choice.

She has done this and there is no taking it back.

It better be worth it.

* * *

In the arena, Asami is still working on fortifying their shelter in the charred bell tower. She thinks that she can manage it, but Korra is still hurt, and Asami knows that as soon as a few more cannons go off, the careers are going to make a beeline to the tower.

She is hoping for _water_ when she sees the small umbrella with the tiny Sato Industries insignia on it. It is what she and Korra are running out of the fastest. And so, when she finally catches it and ducks down behind the open windows, she gets right to work.

She frantically tears the silver wrapping from the slender package and finds a shiny bottle of definitely-not-purified-water wrapped tightly in a note that reads: "Dear Asami Sato: Roses are red, the Girl on Fire burns blue, the star-crossed lovers are cute, but the victor must be you. The vial is poison; Korra won't feel a thing in her sleep."

Asami swallows the bile rising in her throat. She looks over at Korra, whom is still out cold from her ever-worsening sickness. She looks to the poison in her hand. She thinks about how much she wants to live; she thinks about how much more important it is that the _Avatar_ lives.

It is funny how Asami thought she would never have to consider whether she or Korra should live, or that she might have the opportunity to kill her district partner.

The entire United Republic is watching as Asami holds the poison in her hands. She looks at Korra, and she crawls towards her. But then Asami realizes that Korra is the Avatar, and that she never thought that she was getting out of the arena anyway.

And what happens when it's over? Asami becomes a political pawn for the Capitol and nothing more. Her life becomes like her mother's, like her sister's. Maybe she should think about how much the Avatar should survive again.

The only tributes left are Eska, Lu Ten, Mako and Kuvira. Korra stands a chance against them… Asami doesn't.

She uncorks the poison and hears the very faint buzz of a camera zooming in on her. Asami looks directly at it as she lifts the poison to her own lips instead of Korra's. She can almost feel the world holding its breath as she begins to drink it.

But she is weak. She is too weak and she tightens the lid on it again with a sigh. Asami finds her pack and shoves the bottle into a small pocket with padding around it. She zips it shut and gazes at the camera for a moment longer.

"No," Asami whispers.

And that one word could ignite an empire.

Afterwards, Asami lies down beside Korra. Korra pulls her in close and they remain like that until they fall asleep.

That night, they are not enemies, tributes or pieces in someone else's game. Asami rests her aching head on Korra's sore chest.

They can feel two persistent heartbeats intertwined, and they both silently decide that they will never let the other heartbeat fade, no matter what the cost.

* * *

In the Capitol, Azula's unblinking gaze is interrupted when the screen erupts in a shower of glass and sparks.

She recoils, gasping, as she sees that it is one of the heavy bottles of liquor from the refreshment tables outside. Because Mai has thrown it as hard as she can at the screen, as if that is at all an appropriate thing to do, with a wordless cry of rage that Azula did not think she was capable of making.

"They did not! She did not!" and Mai is in a spiraling fit of emotion that neither Azula nor Zuko nor Ty Lee know what they are supposed to do about. "She _did not just do that_!"

Mai is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Rightfully. They are _all_ going to pay for that stupid, self-righteous little bitch and her stupid selfless act. The poison was supposed to work and this _disruption_ would come to an end.

She risked _everything_ for this poison stunt.

And now everyone will burn for it.


	6. Book 1: Rule Change

**Chapter Six  
Rule Change**

 _Mathematics. Law of averages. Let a complex system repeat itself long enough, eventually something surprising might occur.  
-Battlestar Galactica-  
_

* * *

 ** _The 70th Harmony Games, Victory Tour_**

 _This year's victor walks into the office of President Shinohai. Of course he has asked to speak with her after the… disturbance in District Nine. She waits for him to gesture at the very obvious chair before sitting down, not stupid enough to jeopardize her life._

 _She fought hard enough to make it this far, and she is not going to let anything hold her back._

 _Azula thinks that it is her destiny to be sitting in the office of the man who let her grow up loathed by her own mother. Even if he probably has only bad news to relay._

 _Once she enters, "Light that fire," Ozai orders and Azula does not hesitate._

 _It burns such a brilliant blue before it softens and fades to yellow. That is precisely why he felt the compulsion to take her in as his own… as well as the political importance. She clasps her hands on her lap when she is done._

 _He explains, "You are like that fire. You are contained. Away from that containment you could be a wildfire. You've seen those perhaps? They consume and destroy indiscriminately. But kept contained it is a very lovely decoration. That destructive force of nature is warming my office."_

 _"I haven't done anything to—"_

 _"Need to be contained? You exist, at this point. That's enough to be dangerous, Girl on Fire. Now, let's say it were to burn out of control." It flares. His own bending. She doesn't flinch, like most anyone would. And then, as one tongue licks too close to the carpet, he clenches his fist and snuffs it out. "I will quench it before it ruins that beautiful rug."_

 _"You make yourself very clear," she says before taking a slow, deep breath. The room tastes like smoke, even though the fire is long gone._

 _"I think you would make for a very lovely decoration. I am more than willing to welcome you into my home. You've gone without your father for so long. It breaks my heart."_

 _Azula nods._

 _She does honestly think that being the face of the Capitol's oppression is better than going home to her stepfather and sister and awful district._

* * *

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick…

Mai reaches up and tears the batteries out of the clock.

"What? Nobody needs a clock in a garden," she snarls at a peacekeeper who recoils. His admonishing look is gone, thankfully. Probably the… showing of emotions, she supposes. "There's one of those sundial things on the ground! Who even purchased a clock for a garden?"

"I did." Ozai arrives an hour later than he said he would, but that is earlier than Mai expected. She hadn't even broken a sweat yet, not that she would. "Because it is a priceless antique that has a sundial pattern on it, which matches the one you are clearly so fond of."

Mai has a sudden image of herself crushing it, but she just sets it down on the cold stone bench beside her and clutches the batteries in her hand.

She doesn't know why they are meeting in this dreadful place.

Every single thing he enjoys feels wrong. Especially the priceless art and the priceless roses and the desire for piano music at horrible parties you can't even get properly drunk at.

She knows him. He doesn't have finesse; he has hunger for power and the ability to manipulate and intimidate others. He prefers brutality but only when it is someone else getting the blood on their hands. Maybe he would have an Agni Kai; he could pretend he was honorable if he did that.

So they should not be among roses that are not even tended by him. Mai feels like she should be meeting him in an Old World throne room with bloodied heads on stakes and a throne made of bones. Fire. Lots of fire too. Nothing refined; just violent.

But, no, Ozai prefers paintings and roses and girls thirty years younger than him.

She thought the poison would work out perfectly. Obviously, she was wrong.

"No one said I couldn't sponsor someone," Mai says crisply, the words prepared ahead of time.

"Actually, yes, the law of the United Republic says you can't," Ozai retorts. She cracks her knuckles, buying herself a few seconds of time.

She replies, "It says anyone involved in the making of the Games can't. I wasn't. I would be running a better show than this one."

"You have suggestions, do you?" he asks, the right side of his lip curled into a snarl.

"A couple. Like devastating everyone who's rooting for that horrible love story. It's not even true. Do you believe them?" Mai cocks an eyebrow.

Of course he doesn't. "No. It's strategic, because we both know who their mentor is. But, unfortunately, I am not going to start riots by gutting them both."

"Everybody loves a tragic romance."

"I don't. Which makes you a very lucky girl."

Silence. Mai hates that he has just made that move.

"I honestly thought it was appropriate to send tributes weapons. And I obviously thought it would work or else I wouldn't have done it."

Ozai is silent, of course, until he orders the four guards to leave. They escape as quickly as they can without getting their tongues cut out.

This is the best day ever, Mai decides.

"You _honestly_ stole from me and gave that girl an opportunity to cause worse damage than she already has," he growls and his smug façade vanishes. As expected.

Mai straightens. "How would I start a rebellion by killing the Avatar? I just did what our _useless_ government was incapable of doing: have her little legacy love do it for us. I gave her a poison that killed quickly and painlessly because I was pretty certain Asami's _heroics_ are nonexistent but she would feel bad stabbing Korra to death."

"The poison—"

"I could've bought, or told Azula to procure but if you're going to execute me for being exasperated by you, go right ahead." Mai leans back confidently on the stone bench. "Be as petty as I know you are."

Silence. Ozai hates that she has just made that move.

"You can't talk your way out of this," he insists. "I _am_ mildly comforted by your reasoning and things will be slightly easier for you. I also believe Azula was trying to do anything she could to make her sister win, and her selfishness knows no bounds. That poor escort is too much of an airhead to even know how to spell rebellion, much less start one. Everyone else involved is guilty of some very dreadful crimes."

"Who else is involved?" Mai asks slowly. She knew they would _all_ burn for it… if he knew.

He smirks. "Do you think surveillance in the United Republic is an honor system?"

"Is it not?"

* * *

In the arena, Asami feels sick about the poison.

She doesn't know why she couldn't do it. It would have been an easy kill, maybe even one people would have liked thanks to how her mother won the games. But she could not bring herself to kill Korra, Korra who is in love with her. Asami… who has been terrible in response.

Asami lied about their romance because Azula told her to. Asami is responsible for killing Ikki and she might as well have lied to Korra about that. Asami has done only wrong to Korra, and Korra has risked herself more than once to protect Asami.

"Korra, are you up?" Asami whispers, uneasily pushing the poison further down in her pack.

Korra makes an unintelligible noise in response.

Asami looks up and sees the camera she snapped at is still hungrily recording every second of the two lovers.

"How about medicine instead of poison?" Asami hisses and she gets nothing. Her heart sinks, because she knows no one will help Korra now, not even Hama. There are so few tributes yet that the gimmick to rush the finale will pop up at any moment and one more tribute dead is one step closer to Asami's victory.

Slowly, Asami hesitates and slings her pack over her shoulder.

"Korra," Asami whispers as she stands, "I don't know if you can hear me but… I'm leaving, okay? I'm gonna go kill them. I'm gonna get them for what they've done to you. I'll come back."

Asami chokes on her final words, because she thinks she might be lying.

Korra's eyes open, although her eyelids droop. "Win for me," she rasps and Asami slowly nods.

"I will. You know I will," Asami says and she hears the barely audible whir of the camera. She looks up at it and grabs her slingshot. With the butt of the handle, she smashes the glass and electronics into pieces. The shattering noise is the most satisfying thing Asami has ever heard.

Before a hovercraft can do it, Asami scoops up the pieces and shoves them into her bag. She doesn't know yet, but they might be useful somehow.

Asami stands and walks down the steps of the tower, swallowing as she descends back into the arena from her isolated bubble. She pretended she was okay up there, that she was alone with a girl that maybe she could love. Asami runs and runs and runs until she jumps down into the ruins and bursts into hysterical tears.

She doesn't remember how to move.

* * *

In the Capitol, Azula tries to remain calm as she sits in President Ozai Shinohai's office.

"Don't kill her," Azula says, standing and gently kicking her chair aside. "You'll cause more problems."

"I'd take a thousand problems to get rid of the one named Korra Raava," he growls.

"If I were making the games, I would give hope instead of anger. I would give the people something to root for," Azula says earnestly, locking eyes with him. Their eyes are so very similar.

"What?" He scoffs. Perhaps he is the first to say hope is stronger than fear, but she would do anything to get Asami out alive.

" _Young love_. I was onto something with that. You need a grand finale, give them a grand finale. Mako and Kuvira are left, Eska, then Korra and Asami. Don't execute Korra, instead keep Asami nervous about if she is going to live or die. Ruin Mako and Kuvira's camp, force them out. Make the twist of the century. Eska is killed. Asami saves her lover to prove that her defiance was silly adolescent hormones and not defiance. The two last duos face off and _wham_ , save Asami alone."

He eyes her with disdain. "You have very selfish reasons for that outcome."

"Those are the best kind. I'll have her sob and sob about Korra and then she will fade as the heartbroken victor. Not an insurgent, just a girl madly in love." Azula snatches her chair and sits back down, her head slightly bowed.

Ozai pauses and slowly nods at her. "I can work with that."

"She'll be easier to make forgettable than Mai. And I think you did a damned good job with her," Azula says, referring to the woman lying down outside of his office looking bored to tears.

He almost laughs. "It's such a shame you refused my offer. You would have been an excellent gamemaker."

Azula smirks.

[X]

Ty Lee paces in the Victor's Lounge, playing with her pink sweater sleeves and waiting for Mai. Waiting for Zuko and Katara. Waiting for Azula.

Are they dead? She helped with the poison. She helped with the poison and she could never forgive herself if they were killed over it.

Finally, the escort hears heels and she crosses her fingers with her eyes squeezed shut. She is too afraid to turn around until she hears Azula's voice.

"Why aren't you working? We need medicine for Korra," Azula snarls and Ty Lee has _never_ been so happy to be barked at. She spins around and wraps her arms tightly around the struggling victor.

"Is Mai alright?" Ty Lee asks as she reluctantly pulls away.

"Yes. I saw her ten minutes ago," Azula says coldly. "Looking sullen, but that's not surprising. You didn't actually think she'd pay for the poison stunt, did you? He inexplicably trusts her, trusts me and thinks you're too stupid to cause any damage. I have no idea about Zuko and Katara, but they're wildly popular with his _friends_ and so I doubt they'll suffer more than a little torture. Now _get me medicine_."

Ty Lee feels queasy when she hears _a little torture_ but she gives Azula a mocking salute before spinning on her heel and prancing over to the mingling sponsors. Popularity doesn't mean anything; Ty Lee's parents got killed despite being Ozai's _friends_. But she has a job to do and she's not going to screw up.

She's going to save two kids instead of doom two kids.

[X]

Ty Lee wakes to Azula gasping and clutching her knees to her chest. She fell asleep on the sofa watching the games again, and Ty Lee races to her the minute she sees the mentor losing control of herself.

Slowly, Ty Lee takes her hand and meets her gaze. She never has dared to do that before, but she does not feel she has a choice.

"It's okay. You're safe. You're safe. You're here with me," Ty Lee whispers.

"I know that," Azula snaps, aghast at how constricted her voice is with emotion. She does not like to be seen this way by anyone. "Go… do your hair."

Ty Lee smiles faintly before feeling a rush of regret. "Can I stay with you? I'm scared."

Azula cannot suppress her smirk before it fades into another gasp.

Once the panic passes, Ty Lee goes to make coffee and Azula dices up an orange she has no intention of eating. She hears Hama's footsteps behind her.

"You shouldn't let go of that girl," says the elderly victor and Azula rolls her eyes. "She cares about you, and you're not easy to care about."

Azula scoffs. "She's nothing but another pretty face."

Hama hums in disbelief.

* * *

It is day nine in the Arena, a groundbreaking rule change has been announced, and Asami Sato is running as fast as she can towards the tower. Korra is alive, Korra is alive, Korra's cannon hasn't gone off and they can win together. All Asami has to do is protect Korra like Korra protected her, and they can make it.

Mako and Kuvira will take care of Eska; Asami knows that well enough.

She is almost hyperventilating when she at last reaches the tower. Asami runs up the stairs and finds Korra sitting up with her lips ajar.

"I didn't think…" Korra murmurs.

"You _knew_ ," Asami says, throwing herself into Korra's arms.

She wishes she weren't listening for the cameras as they embrace so tightly that neither can breathe. Korra winces as she pulls away from her district partner.

"We both can win," Korra says softly. "But…"

"You'll pull through," Asami says fiercely, surprised at her own vehemence. "I will _make sure_ you do."

Korra smiles and leans back. Asami licks her lips and thinks about Ikki again. It makes her stomach do backflips. When they get out, Korra will never speak to her again once she sees the footage. But they'll get out, and, maybe that will be enough to alleviate Asami's conscience.

They remain in their old campsite together that night, barely speaking, Asami doing little but trying to figure out the remains of the broken camera, until they hear a deafening _boom_ in the distance and see the smoke.

Asami sits up on her knees and gazes out of the window. "What in Koh's Realm was that?"

Korra forces herself to sit and gawk alongside her love.

That looked like one big fucking explosion. She feels chills when she realizes what that means; the finale is approaching. And fast.

[X]

Korra asks weakly, "What do those cord things do?"

"Okay," Asami says eagerly, "so, most of this is pretty useless, and I wrecked the lens. But I've spent a lot of time taking things apart to figure out how to put them back together. My dad taught me one thing; all of his technology is compatible."

"Uhm…" Korra squints.

"I mean that it can work with other types of things. Like, uh, what have you had before?"

Korra has to think for a moment. "We had a toaster for a while."

Asami grimaces involuntarily. But she can work with that.

"So, let's say your toaster has a broken part. Let's say it's the cables that make it start and function; that's the easy one because all of the tech has the same kind. That's called the spark." _Like the disabled peacekeeper glove I hooked up with a dishwasher spark._ "I could take this spark out of the camera, hook it up in the right place—the wrong place would probably blow up in my face—and then it would start again."

"You could start it with a camera piece?" Korra rubs her neck. Even fishing nets weren't that simple.

"Yeah," Asami says, nodding. "If we find something in this arena that's been disabled from the spark, then we can replace it and start it up again."

"I bet they have a lot of toasters lying around in here," Korra mutters sarcastically and Asami pretends not to hear her.

Asami opens her mouth to explain further, but she hears the distinctive noise of a package. Her eyes brighten as she snatches it from the air and hopes it isn't poison again. It's…

"Medicine," Asami breathes, shocked.

"It's because of the rule change," Korra says and Asami nods. That would make sense; Hama and Azula wouldn't pass up on both of their tributes reigning victorious, when before they would leave Korra to die a nonviolent death.

Asami reads the instructions on the label and helps administer it. She watches the damage from stings and metalbending begin to fade before her eyes. In all her life as one of the only truly privileged people in the districts, she has never seen anything like that.

"That's…" _amazing_.

"Waterbenders are still better. Remind me to take healing classes when we get home," Korra says, straightening her posture and rubbing her arms.

Asami grins when Korra says _when_.

Because that kind of makes sense now.

 _When we get home. When we get home. When we get home._

Asami cannot stop smiling for the first time in a long time.

* * *

In the Capitol, Azula watches Kuvira and Mako flee their burning camp. She was already informed that Asami and Korra received their medicine, but of course Ozai would be beyond reluctant to show it. Better the violence than the Capitol bending to the will of defiant girls like Korra and Asami.

Kuvira and Mako are holding hands and gazing at each other _lovingly_. Maybe they picked up that trick from their enemies. The two of them do seem uncomfortably close and compassionate towards each other.

Ty Lee sits down beside Azula and smiles faintly at her. "They can win now, I bet."

Azula takes a slow breath. She knows very well that only Asami is coming out of that arena, just like she always planned. But she will let Ty Lee hope, just like everyone else viewing the Harmony Games.

"I knew they would," Azula admits, which is half-true. Ty Lee sits beside her and sighs dreamily.

"I love their love," she remarks breathily, her eyes wide and glimmering. She is the perfect example of a Capitol girl, District 8 or not. "Don't you?"

Azula is silent.

[X]

The next day, Ty Lee violently shakes Azula awake.

"There's stuff happening," Ty Lee says excitedly, bouncing up and down. Azula's eyes open and fixate on Ty Lee's joyous expression. "The finale, it's the finale."

"It can't be," Azula mutters, forcing herself to sit up. "Eska is alive, isn't she?"

"Yeah. But the area is shrinking. They're forcing all five of the tributes together," Ty Lee squeals and Azula leaves her bed, walking as fast as she can to the nearest television. "There's fire and a flood and some mutts and stuff and the force—"

"I know how they shrink arenas," Azula snarls as she kneels in front of the screen. She sees Asami and Korra running with their gear, the dust from the collapsed tower in their hair and sticking to their sweaty skin.

The feed flashes to Eska racing atop ice, using the flood to her advantage. Mako and Kuvira are already almost to the center of the arena, but they both still look dizzy from the destruction of their campsite.

Varrick is making thrilled, slang-ridden comments as he narrates the flight of the five to where the Sanctuary Square still lies, dead but standing.

Azula leans back and sits on her heels.

They're almost there.

* * *

In the arena, Asami sits down after her hour long flight alongside Korra, out of breath. Korra stops and stands beside her as they both gaze at the monochrome Sanctuary Square that is only a few feet in front of them. It no longer looks enticing; it just serves as a reminder that the Harmony Games started with eighteen and now there are five.

"Do you think…?" Korra asks, but her question is answered when she sees water and Eska exiting the ruins to the right, and seconds later, Mako and Kuvira climbing over a collapsed pillar to the left. Korra gazes at Asami.

This is bad.

"We're screwed," Asami whispers as she catches her breath.

Like nervous animals sniffing the air, the other three tributes hesitantly walk closer to the Sanctuary Square.

Asami looks around frantically for anything she can use, while Korra tears water from the plants around them. She reaches into her pack for the complex camera parts; they're compatible with most Sato Industries products…

Like the now dead mines beneath the platforms the tributes initially stood on.

"Korra, cover for me," Asami orders as she starts crawling towards the nearest one.

The Avatar does as she is told, and runs towards the Sanctuary Square, climbing it in three leaps. She stands and looks down at the three tributes who now immediately focus on her.

Asami hears the fight begin as she tries to figure out how to make the mine active again. There has to be a way; there's always a way. Her fingers hurt but she doesn't think about anything but the loud battle of three elements distracting focus from her.

She does it. She _does it_.

Quickly, Asami crawls behind it, takes two deep breaths, and stands.

Korra has just fallen from the Sanctuary Square, and while Kuvira bends herself a blade and Mako sticks close to her, Eska's attention turns to Asami.

Asami starts weaving backwards, well aware that this is probably not going to work. Eska slides to her, throwing darts of ice until her water is depleted. Asami holds her breath when she sees Eska tear the water from the grass in front of her and—

* * *

Ty Lee screams.

Two cannons fire and she digs her nails into her palm, hoping one was not Asami. Not Asami, please, please, please…

The smoke clears and Asami is still standing, her back pinned against a tree. Kuvira and Korra stare. Mako and Eska are down in one strike.

Azula breathes an audible sigh of relief.

* * *

In the arena, Korra's lips move but no sound comes out. All she can hear is a shrill ringing in her ears, but she can feel Kuvira's attention turn to her. Asami is less threatening, even though she just blew up Mako and Eska. To death. Exploded them to death.

Korra cannot believe she ever underestimated that girl.

"Asami, climb!" Korra yells as she grabs onto the Sanctuary Square again in order to dodge a sword thrusting straight at her gut.

Asami does not need to be told twice. She takes hold of the nearest broken wall and hoists herself onto and over it, clinging and silently praying to every spirit there is in existence that Korra will be okay.

Korra swings down when Kuvira easily bends the Sanctuary Square. Her feet land with a thud that reverberates through her. She thinks she might have broken a few toes, but the rush of adrenaline makes her forget the pain. Kuvira has come at her again, this time with what amounts to a mace.

 _Shit_. Korra had no idea people could even _do that_.

She takes a deep breath as she dances around the precise blows. Her consolation is that she will take down Kuvira even if she dies too, and Asami will win. That's what Korra wanted all along, after all, and it makes her movements bold.

Kuvira's realization that Korra has no stake in surviving slows her down for the split second it takes for Korra to tear water from her pouch. Korra attempts to strike back, but Kuvira kicks up one of the platforms as a shield.

Metalbending sucks, Korra decides.

* * *

Azula swallows. She thinks she is going to vomit.

"Asami wins either way," Hama remarks icily behind her and Azula digs her fingers into the carpet. "What? You seem to care a lot for someone who wanted her own tribute to die."

That does not even merit a response.

* * *

Kuvira knocks Korra down, tripping her over another bent platform. Korra shields her eyes as the blade comes down on her, but then she rips the earth from the ground and pushes a shocked Kuvira backwards.

Korra grins and jumps to her feet.

"Yeah, you forgot I was the Avatar, didn't you?" Korra taunts and Kuvira is rendered speechless.

Korra tries to bend fire before Kuvira opens her mouth to speak. Not to slice Korra into bits… to speak.

"You are, aren't you?" Kuvira asks quietly. "The Avatar was supposed to be dead. He abandoned his followers and let the world collapse on itself."

"Yeah. I did sometimes pay attention in school," Korra spits.

Kuvira shakes her head. "I just tried to think about something that was worth dying for, like you and that stupid girl. You don't even care about living so she can. I didn't even flinch when Mako died. I never had parents; I had an academy that taught me to live to win these games. To win or to go out with glory. You…"

"I'm not that different from you. I wanted to win these games more than anything when I got reaped. I'm still trying to win."

"Nobody wins these games but President Shinohai," Kuvira says with a smirk. She has realized how she can be unforgettable. Going out like this, going out like this and letting the Avatar win would be a legacy more significant than her hollow life as a victor could ever be.

She has a lot of reasons, mixed up in her head, but they _are_ reasons.

"I don't…" Korra stops speaking because she is wrong. She gets it. She suddenly gets it.

She gets that Kuvira gets it. That what Asami said about cycles is true.

They always eventually break.

Korra looks away when she sees Kuvira set the blade against her own neck. She is going out with glory. And Korra is supposed to make her sacrifice mean something.

The cannon fires and Korra holds her breath, waiting for her and Asami to be announced as joint victors.

But instead, "Greetings to the final contestants of the 74th Harmony Games. The earlier rule change has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may ever be allowed. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Korra looks up when she hears Asami's feet hit the dust.

"We should've known," Asami announces hoarsely.

"Nobody wins the games but President Shinohai," Korra says quietly, turning so she does not have to face the bloody body of the most powerful bender she has ever met.

"What now?" Asami asks quietly. She stumbles and Korra's heart stops.

Korra's eyes are as wide as the full moon. "You got hit by…"

"Shrapnel. I know. That explosion wasn't my smartest choice." Asami laughs until it turns into a cough. "You better win. I knew I had no chance from the beginning, and you're the Avatar. Kuvira died so that you could break the cycle. I'm…"

Korra shakes her head wildly. She purges the very _idea_ of killing Asami from her mind.

"You're gonna win for me. I'm the Avatar and so I'll get reborn. You don't get that," Korra says vehemently. Asami frowns. "You're supposed to win anyway. That was the point of all this."

Asami sighs. "I…" She chokes. "I…" She chokes again. "I killed Ikki. That explosion was me."

Korra's head spins and she almost lunges forward before she slides on Mako and Eska's blood and it changes her mind. "You didn't. The games killed Ikki," she whispers.

"I did! Kill me! I did! Kill me!" Asami screams, her emerald eyes sparkling with rage.

"No!" Korra shouts, throwing down her fists and crushing the rocks by accident.

"I WAS GOING TO POISON YOU!" Asami roars and Korra recoils. She didn't know that pretty, skinny girl could make that loud of a noise.

"With what?" Korra asks.

Asami turns and goes to find her pack. She stumbles twice, whimpering from the pain of the multiple cuts covering her body. Digging her hand down deep, she fishes around for the bottle and then pulls it out. She holds the vial up.

"With this."

"But _you didn't_ , stupid!" Korra bellows but Asami just becomes more infuriated.

"I'm a _monster_! I was born to be in these games and I was born to die so you could go help people! I killed Ikki, I would have killed you, _I deserve to be the one to die_!" Asami rips the cork off of the bottle and begins to touch it to her lips before Korra leaps at her, propelled by unexpected fire.

Korra grabs it and pulls it away. Asami reaches for it but collapses onto her knees.

"No," Korra growls.

"I'm already dying!" Asami chokes out, wiping off the blood on her chin and displaying her scarlet hand.

"I was first and you came back for me. You saved me. If anybody drinks it, _I do_."

Asami hesitates and looks up. "Cycles…" She blinks. "We both drink it."

"W-what?" Korra blinks several times fast.

"If they don't get a victor, we break the cycle." Asami grabs onto Korra's arm and pulls herself to her feet. "Make two ice cups."

Korra nods. She steels herself and makes the small cups, pushing one into Asami's hand. Her fingers tremble as she pours half of the vial into each.

Asami kisses Korra again, and this time… it means so much more than on the chariots. They turn, back to back.

"One," Asami says softly.

"Two," Korra adds.

"Th—"

The voice of Zhao echoes through the arena, "Stop! Stop! I am pleased to announce the victors of the 74th Harmony Games, Asami Sato and Korra Raava! I give you — the tributes of District 2!"

* * *

When Asami opens her eyes, Azula hovers over her, saying, "You're in trouble."

Everything is hazy and Asami is not sure where she is. Then she remembers winning, realizes she is going home to her dad, her bedroom… Korra with her. The cycle broken…

The shrapnel wounds are gone. Her body is filled out back to normal. When she looks at her hands, they are as manicured as they have always been. Her hair is soft and not matted. She is _Capitol_ now.

"I…" Asami swallows, clawing at the IV on her left arm.

"You need to listen to me, and listen to me now," Azula says sternly. "Once Xia dresses you…"

[X]

Hours of being preened and wringing her hands over Azula's orders later, Asami stares at the screaming, thrilled crowd of fans who are excited to the point of hysteria even without laying eyes on the two victors. She gnaws on her unnaturally healed lower lip as she shifts her gaze to look at Korra. Because they are madly in love and that is probably a fact.

Varrick is making jokes and Korra is awkwardly sits across from him. Asami smiles faintly to herself when she thinks about how awful Korra was at her first interview.

Slowly, Asami walks onto the stage and hears the booming crowd. Korra leaps to her feet and Asami strides across the stage to kiss her on the lips. A wolf whistle from the crowd makes Korra laugh and break away.

"How does the reunion feel, gals?" Varrick asks loudly over the crowd.

"Perfect!" Korra cheers and Asami wonders if she was coached or not.

Varrick declares, "Now time for—"

"Sorry, Varrick, but I have to interrupt," Asami says and he gapes. "I need to ask Korra something. I'm too excited to wait."

"Yeah?" Korra looks nervous for the first time. Asami laughs wickedly because Korra didn't look concerned for a second during the games, but she is sweating as Asami holds her hands.

Asami looks out at the audience, scanning it for her sister. She sees the nod she is waiting for and drops onto her knees. Suddenly, the crowd is quiet save for a few whispers.

"Will you marry me?" Asami asks and the silence breaks with hoots and hollers and applause.

Korra just nods, breathlessly nods. No one would be able to hear her answer anyway.

And in the audience, Azula's golden eyes sparkle.

 **END BOOK ONE**

* * *

 **A/N:** _Stay tuned for a Victory Tour, a Korrasami wedding, Ty Lee catching a certain bouquet, two very unlikely volunteers (not sarcasm, I doubt anyone will guess at least one of the two), a brand new never-before-seen arena that I put about a year into designing, the worst pregnancy announcement video in all of history and so, so much more Tyzula focus._

 _(all three books are contained in this fic)_


	7. Book 2: A Very Fragile Cycle

_**A/N:**_ _Welcome to Book Two of Invictus. It's based on Catching Fire but deviates much more from the plot of the book than the first book does. It has chapters around half the length of Book One, but will have at least twice as many chapters. The entire story was based around a few scenes from this book that sparked the idea, so it's probably my best one in the trilogy. I hope you enjoy. :D_

 _Sidenote: I made Naga dog sized instead of polar bear sized. I don't like messing with canon too much, but I have changed a lot of canon in this story already and for reasons in Book Three, Naga had to be smaller._

* * *

 **BOOK TWO  
When Lightning Strikes**

* * *

 _I want to confess as best I can, but my heart is void. The void is a mirror. I see my face and feel loathing and horror. My indifference to men has shut me out. I live now in a world of ghosts, a prisoner in my dreams.  
-The Seventh Seal-_

* * *

 **Chapter One  
A Very Fragile Cycle**

 _Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.  
\- Seneca the Younger -_

* * *

 _ **The 74th Harmony Games, Closing Ceremony**_

 _Ty Lee runs into Azula's arms despite her heels and her nice hair._

 _She_ jumps _onto her, because this is the first time they've been able to see each other since the Harmony Games. Maybe they don't have anything but a one night stand, but Ty Lee kisses her on the mouth in front of too many people._

 _Azula pushes her away. "You can't do that in front of the cameras."_

 _"I'm just so happy! We did it!" Ty Lee cheers, holding Azula by both arms._

 _Azula envies her positivity. Ignorance would be such bliss._

 _Ty Lee kisses her again. Just one more time._

 _It feels warm and right to both of them, but Azula cannot let this turn into more than a fast fling. If that. She cannot allow someone to get close to her romantically. For that person to get hurt._

 _But screw it, she decides as she hears the applause and chanting of her two tributes' names._

 _She kisses Ty Lee_ hard _._

[X]

 _Korra is stunned to see another victor waiting for her when she walks into the green room. It feels more like a holding pen until she gets shown off to the crowd that she can already hear outside, but she is so excited to see Iroh II._

 _He smiles at her but then his expression becomes very serious. Korra's mouth dries in an instant, because she has Hama's warnings stuck in her brain._

 _"Your homework is extremely overdue," he scolds and Korra suppresses her grin._

 _"I'll get right on it, General Probending-Guy," she says, giving him a playful salute._

 _They remain serious for all of two minutes before they both burst out laughing and fall into a tight embrace. Korra pulls away the minute she calms down from her joyous outburst._

 _"Asami, good job," Iroh II says when she walks in the room. Asami smiles and bows her head._

 _He notices that Korra looks like the sun itself has just entered the room and illuminated it. It is sweet, their love, even if he isn't always sure if he buys Asami's feelings for his best friend. They will be happy and married, he hopes._

 _"Are my mom and dad here?" Korra asks and Iroh II shakes his head._

 _"They'll be at the train station in District 2. But, Asami, Mr. Sato is in the other room if you want to go say hi."_

 _Asami races off and throws herself into her dad's arms. Tears stream from her eyes._

 _"I never thought I would see you again," Asami chokes out. "You saved my life in there."_

 _"You saved your own life," Hiroshi protests, allowing her to pull away. "I made that camera but you made it into, well, a_ bomb _of all things. Maybe I can get you a job at the Defense Department. We could move to the Capitol…"_

 _"I've seen enough of this place to last a lifetime," Asami says earnestly. Before she can say another word to her dad, a bright orange girl with metallic gold hair waves her hand._

 _"The crowning will begin now," she says._

 _Asami hugs her dad once more, and she and Korra both walk up the stairs to the balcony above the square. The Royal Plaza, it is technically called, in honor of the city the Capitol is based on. A city that probably looks more like the arena Asami escaped than this sparkling metropolis._

 _She gets into place as rehearsed, but she didn't practice with President Shinohai himself. And there's the First Lady, Asami notices. She crowns Korra after the brief speech, and Asami sees her squeeze Korra's hand out of the corner of her eye._

 _President Shinohai is close to her and Asami realizes that what she thought was a very grotesque incense on the balcony is his cologne. Blood and roses. It must be Eau de Fear._

 _He places the gorgeous golden laurels on Asami's head and remarks, "That is a beautiful pin."_

 _"Thank you," she replies. "It was my mother's."_

 _"So I noticed." He steps back to make the closing remarks over the thunderous applause._

* * *

The wedding planning makes the six months after the Harmony Games slightly less unbearable.

It's funny, because the things that Korra and Asami missed most are now painful. But planning a wedding under the constant scrutiny of the Capitol is almost fun. It's detached from their old lives, they suppose. Maybe that is why.

At present, Korra is training with Iroh II. He understands her mindset, even if she tries to hide it from everyone. As a victor, he has been through it all before. But in his Games, he did not threaten the balance like Korra and Asami did.

"I can't do the Victory Tour tomorrow," Korra blurts out as the two of them take a water break. "I just can't."

Korra feels the anger rising inside of her again. The moment she feels any fear, she begins to start punching through things. The number of items in her house she has destroyed when overwhelmed is unbelievable. Her heart starts to race like it never did before.

Small things like a bad thought or an aggressive tone in someone else's voice make her body feel like it did when she was in that arena. She has been on the breaking point for months. Her nightmares never, ever stop. She wakes up over and over at night. Not screaming, but breathing out air like she is trying to cry out as someone presses their thumbs against her throat.

She sometimes just can't even breathe, usually when she is lying in bed at night and a bit of phlegm in the back of her throat makes her think she is choking on blood.

"You'll do fine," Iroh says and Korra shakes her head.

She tries to suppress the rising feeling of unstable rage, but she cannot stop it for the life of her. With a wordless shout, she kicks her leather bag at the wall, where it loudly thuds and two bridal magazines spill out, screeching, on the stone floor. That was not nearly as satisfying as she thought it would be. Nothing ever is.

"I _won't_ do fine! I _won't_! It's going to be horrible, and then I'm going to get married, and I don't even know what comes next!" Korra complains, clenching both of her fists. She then quickly unclenches them for fear that fire will come out.

Hama told her not to show any of the other elements within moments of waking up back in the Capitol. Korra doesn't know how a person was supposed to forget that they are the Avatar, or that anyone will fully ignore Korra, but she agreed anyway.

"A constant spotlight and three kids, probably," Iroh says and Korra glares at him, her nostrils flaring. "What? I'm just being honest. Maybe he'll let you fade into oblivion. Maybe that's the plan, but I assure you that you're going to be in the limelight until the fuss about you and Asami both winning calms down."

"I wish she had just let me die so she could make it out," Korra screams.

"You don't mean that," Iroh II aggressively insists. "Everyone is happy for you."

"She doesn't deserve to pay for me being the Avatar!" Korra starts to cry and tries to hide it.

The tears don't stop. Neither does the sobbing,

Humiliated, Korra kicks a dummy to the floor before shoving the magazines back into her satchel and storming out of the gym.

[X]

Meanwhile, Asami is in the Capitol one day before she will begin the meandering journey back. She is currently with Xia - a gorgeous woman with Water Tribe skin, blue hair and tattoos of white flowers - in the green room of Varrick's talk show. Unsurprisingly just called _Varrick_.

"The dress is good," Xia finally decides. It isn't as if she would have much of a choice; the Capitol citizens voted for it. But Asami supposes Xia did propose the options, and is remarkably famous for her work on Azula. Korra's dress is a surprise. In other words, President Shinohai is keeping Korra out of the public eye until he is forced to put her back on television.

Asami, however, has already been to the Capitol twice in the past six months for events. If the attention is on her, she has realized, there is less of it on the Avatar.

"I like it a lot, Xia. Thank you," Asami says and he waves his hand dismissively.

"I knew _you_ would like it. Everyone will like it. The trouble is if _I_ will like it," she explains and Asami isn't sure how to respond. "I thought the sapphires were just too much, especially with your eyes, but I think they look good. They add some sparkle."

Asami grimaces and he interprets it as a smile.

She walks onto the stage and feels her heart flutter like it always does. Looking at the spotlights makes her want to crumple up in a ball on the ground and sob. Azula had to drag her out of the green room on the first of her public interviews. Asami never wants to look at this stage again, but the horror remains fresh in her mind.

Maybe that is what President Shinohai wants.

[X]

In the Presidential Palace, "Mimi, your hair looks nice like that," the president says and he evidently means the opposite.

She is wearing Water Tribe wolf tails at the lunch table, her face sticky from the orange she is devouring. Mai looks away from the scene and the smiling little girl who has no idea.

"Thank you. Everyone at school is wearing it like Korra," Mimi says brightly.

"I didn't put it like that. My idiot stylists did," Mai states honestly.

Before any conversation can break out over it, the door opens and in comes Azula. Who has been missing for the third entire night in a row. She is wearing yesterday's clothes, for the third awkward morning in a row. Those clothes are not on properly at all, and Azula does not seem to have noticed.

"Having fun with your escort?" Mai asks and then she sees Ozai's face. "I didn't say _an_ escort. _Her_ escort. From District 2. The pink one with the tacky eyelashes."

"Hm." He genuinely misses when she just had anonymous sex with fawning fangirls.

"Not tackier than yours, Mai. They look like you put on primer and forgot to do the rest," Azula says and Mai sighs. "I brought you two bottles of that also tacky cherry vodka."

"Your generosity knows no bounds." Pause. Mai allows Azula to set the bottles on the table with a loud _clink_. "Shouldn't you two be with Asami? She's revealing her dress in fifteen minutes on _Varrick_."

"She'll live without my expert coaching, and… whatever it is Ty Lee does," Azula says brightly before sitting down and quietly rebuttoning her shirt – seeing as it is about three buttons off from how it should be. "We'll be meeting her at the train station tonight."

"You will be taking her from here to the train station. I have to speak with her before the tour and I have no desire to spend a day in a swamp," Ozai says.

Mai jabs her nail into the cap of one of the bottles.

[X]

Back in District 2, Korra walks right past the house she shares with her mom and dad and invites herself into Hama's place. It's the house furthest down the block, after the other four victors. She won the longest ago. In fact, Hama is the oldest victor still alive from any district.

"Heyo, Hama!" Korra shouts out, hoping her old mentor hears her. She has learned a very painful lesson about walking in on Hama unexpectedly. Maybe you really never get over the Harmony Games. "I brought groceries!"

"I'm coming, dearie!" Hama calls back and Korra laughs a little at _dearie_.

She is like the grandma Korra never had, except completely deadly and with the most morbid sense of humor in history.

Naga gets there first. Korra kneels down and grabs her fluffy companion tightly. And Naga instantly starts sniffing around in Hama's grocery bags.

"There's a treat for you. But, Naga, patience is a virtue," Korra growls. Unfortunately, she can't stay mad at her polar bear dog for more than two seconds. She grabs the bone, drops it into Naga's mouth and goes to try to put away the groceries she bought from the Water Tribe market.

Hama walks in. "You don't need to do that."

"I do, actually. Oh no – not because of you really – it's because I need to be constantly doing stuff or I start thinking. This is great for me." Korra shuts the cereal cabinet and folds up the first of three paper bags.

Thinking is bad. Thinking is the worst thing in the whole world. When Korra starts to think, she starts to _remember_. Often she starts to worry, and she never worried before the Games. When Korra keeps moving, keeps punching, keeps doing stuff, she can put off memories and anxiety for another few minutes at least.

Hama nods. "You do need hobby other than probending. I have several. None of them are knitting or baking, thankfully. I hate to feel old."

Korra has tried Hama's hobbies and all of them are super boring… and kind of for old people, in Korra's opinion. Gardening is the worst hobby in history, and Hama does it nonstop.

The elder victor sits down at the table and watches how urgently Korra is sorting and stacking. She has seen worse, but it never stops being unsettling.

"This is a weird question," Korra says as she tries to find the proper cabinet for canned vegetables, "but, did you know Asami's mom? You've lived here for a long time."

Hama smiles faintly to herself. "I was one of her mentors."

"You mentored for the Quarter Quell?" Korra incredulously inquires.

"I mentored for both. And I will mentor for another next year." Hama sighs and sits down. "Unless I pass first. I am very old."

"No-no you can't die _ever_ ," Korra protests vehemently.

Hama shrugs. "Our district won both Quells. Did you know that?"

"No. No, I didn't. Why don't they tell us that?" Korra feels like she might have heard it before now that Hama mentions it, but nobody official talked about it and they don't teach it in school.

Hama cracks her knuckles and calmly explains, "Well, Yusa's Games were looked about as kindly upon as yours. And the victor of the 25th died of not-so-natural causes. Both Quells were examples of true defiance."

"So, why hasn't the Capitol abolished them? If the Games go wrong sometimes, like mine and like Asami's moms and..."

"Because that's the _point_ , Korra," Hama sharply says, making the Avatar slightly recoil. "Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. Most victors are well-behaved and do as they are told. People are scared and children are the best to throw into an Arena because they don't know any better. Of course, one occasionally shines like a beacon, attracting hope like a lightning rod. Maybe causing acts of defiance. But they all have failed. The Capitol uses the hope that they summon and they publicly crush it. Any of that rebellion fades within months."

"How many have there been? How many people failed?" Korra cannot think of many victors who have ever caused a stir.

"I didn't," Hama sadly admits, touching her hand to her face. Korra sees the inexplicable shame, as if Hama wishes she had been a rebel. "I might have used unconventional methods to win but I behaved so well like everyone else. The girl who won the 25th, Yusa Sato, Zuko Agni, Katara Suli, Mai Shinohai, and... perhaps the Girl on Fire. Have you noticed what they have become?"

"Dead, dead, celebrity, celebrity, first lady..." Korra does not know what to call Azula. Probably a number of unflattering words. "So... about the Quarter Quells. What were they like? There's one coming up so soon."

Hama swallows and stares at her weathered hands. Korra's stomach sinks; she knows that look.

But before Korra can apologize and back out of the conversation, Hama says, "The first was a nightmare. None of us knew what to expect. It required all of the tributes to be related to each other – from only one of the two elements, random, they said, but of course water was chosen over fire in District 2 – and so siblings were forced to kill siblings. I had one little twelve-year-old girl, and her seventeen-year-old sister. The twelve-year-old won. She still is the youngest ever victor in history. Or, was, I suppose."

"How'd she win?" Korra asks with her sapphire eyes wide.

"Her sister sacrificed herself to save her. It was this one action that made people believe. Believe that there was good in this world somewhere. The Games had been emotional enough without that finale and I think even the Capitol wept that day," Hama says softly. "She could have been a martyr, but the Capitol won out in the end."

"Wow," Korra whispers.

"The second Quell gave the tributes nothing but the clothes on their backs and what they could find in the Arena. There was no Sanctuary Square, but there _were_ sponsors, and _were_ benders. Yusa wasn't supposed to win, but she did. Her mother was a healer here, and so she helped one of the careers by using only plants. They saw use in keeping her around and then she killed them all in their sleep. That took out almost all of the competition. Then she poisoned the water supply and waited for the last cannon to fire."

Korra screws up her face in concentration and asks, "What was defiant about that?"

"People liked her. People saw themselves in her, saw that they could be self-sufficient, that the Capitol's narrative might not be perfect. Unfortunately, it was not enough." Hama says and Korra squirms. "Her fiery spirit faded as quickly as the rest."

"Wow. I wish I knew her," Korra says.

"Yusa would have loved to see Asami getting married." Hama smiles wistfully. "She loved Asami. Azula…" The smile disappears. "Azula was different, but I understand why. She had too much of her father in her."

Silence and discomfort.

"Did you mentor her Games?" Korra asks, although she realizes she knows the answer the minute she says it. Hama has been the last water tribute for a long time.

Hama rubs her face. It pains her to talk about this, but Korra deserves to know. Someone ought to know, before Hama's life ends. "My grandson was her district partner."

Korra's jaw drops. "B-but she killed her district partner. She cut his—" Korra changes her mind about adding on that fact.

The Avatar does remember that that horrid act was the only humanity Azula truly showed. He killed the one person in that Arena that Azula remotely cared about, and so she killed him. Then she... what she did next makes Korra want to believe Azula is something other than what she is: a monster.

"I know," Hama says softly. "But he killed the little girl. The worst thing Azula did to me was the only real humanity I saw in her. I think Kiyi reminded her of Asami, reminded her of how much she felt she failed with her half-sister. He killed Kiyi, she killed him, but, I would say the Games killed all three of them."

 _All three_ , Korra silently notes. Nobody wins the Harmony Games. She knows that by now.

"Did he grow up in the Victor's Village?" Korra cautiously inquires.

"You mean were they friends? Azula was never good at friends, but she and Kunik played together when they were little. He got along more with Asami than her, like everyone else." Hama sighs and Korra forgets to breathe. "That was a long time ago. Five years, but a long, long time in most ways. I never liked her. She was a Capitol type girl before she even developed the accent, and the Capitol stole everything from me but my name."

"You remember before the Games, don't you?" Korra whispers, rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants.

Hama nods. "I was very young, but I remember it all clearly. It was violent. The bombs dropped when I was a baby, and after that I can only remember fear. The districts were order. They were precise and calculated, but I never liked the fences or the fact that they paired water and fire not to unite us, but to keep us from uniting against the Capitol. The Games were order as well. But I never thought I would wind up in them."

"That's…" Korra doesn't know what to say.

"I have something from before the Games. It was my token when I fought in them. Come see in the attic," Hama insists, pushing herself to her feet and beckoning for Korra to follow her.

Hama pushes herself up the stairs by the railing and Korra desperately wants to help her, but she knows it would piss the very tough old lady off to be assisted. Korra didn't know you could love somebody so quickly until she left the Games and even Iroh II didn't understand her and how the aftershocks messed her up so bad. But Hama _did_ , without even bothering her past mentee about it.

Korra has spent every minute that wasn't with Asami – or sometimes Tonraq and Senna – with Hama. The truth is, she loves her parents, but they do not understand that the Korra they knew died in the arena and somebody else that even Korra didn't understand came out. She loves Asami too, but she is afraid of Asami thinking she is weak and no longer loving her. So… Hama is vital to Korra's sanity.

They reach the top floor of the home that matches Korra's new one and Hama pulls down the steps her attic on her own. The two women walk up the creaky wooden stairs and then Korra glances around. Her attic is pretty barren, but Hama's is both clean and empty, like she comes up here all the time to see… a really tiny box that is placed so the light from the small round window shines on it.

"You can open it."

"Is it a booby trap?" Korra asks as she leans down and picks it up. It pops right open; the hinges are frequently used. Disappointed, she remarks, "It's a comb."

Hama laughs. "I said I brought it into the Games. Were you expecting something more exciting?"

"I was expecting something that made more sense." Korra scratches her head.

Hama again laughs. "It's from the seaside."

Korra's eyes light up. "When did you get to go to the seaside?"

"I'm from there. I was born in a coastal village. It was my home before the walls were built when I was a small girl. And I was trapped inland like a fish on a dock no one bothered to put out of its misery. No, it isn't even about putting me out of my misery. The fishermen did it just to watch my pain and fear."

"I'm sorry."

"It hurt my family more than me. I had only a few fuzzy memories of the ocean. To them, that little village had streets paved with gold. It rubbed off on me, I guess. This was my mother's. She hid it when they stripped down everything that… as President Sozin put it, symbolized division. She gave it to me while crying hysterically at the train station."

Korra swallows. She doesn't know what to do, but the word ocean flooded her with memories of the nights preceding her Harmony Games. All she _can_ do is throw her arms around Hama.

Before their hug breaks, Hama says quietly, "I always wanted revenge. Rebellion got close again and again but never close enough. The fire that those six people started always was snuffed out in a spectacular fashion. But they can't do that to you. You are the _Avatar_. The Avatar! They can't stop what you have started."

Korra pulls away from the sheer bitterness of her words. She feels like she just bit into a crabapple that fell into the swamp.

Hama continues, "You're our best chance at vengeance. We almost got it once in a while and it was close enough to taste but they tore it from us."

"Those failed icons I told you about all had one thing in common: they were products of the Games and were examples of how effective the Harmony Games are. But you and Asami broke the Games with that poison. _The Avatar_! The Avatar lives! Do you understand what that means?"

"N-no." Korra gently shuts the lid on the comb. She feels sick.

Hama smiles a very different smile than the one she wears while gardening. One that makes Korra's blood run cold.

And the old woman says, "It means it is only a matter of a time before we make them bleed like they made us bleed."

"Yeah." Korra's throat is constricted with fear.

People cannot possibly think that _she_ , some hick from District 2, could possibly do anything worthy of _the Avatar_.

[X]

In the Capitol, President Shinohai and his family meet a grinning girl in a restaurant.

"So this is your girlfriend of six months," President Shinohai says, examining Ty Lee with scrutiny. The escort looks incredibly uncomfortable, and for good reason. "I wanted to celebrate the Victory Tour by meeting you at last."

Azula wishes he had not said that.

Ty Lee has already met him, but she just smiles harder. She is so excited to do this and she is _so_ not going to mess it up.

"I'm excited," Ty Lee says and Azula grimaces. "I'm always pretty excited."

"I've noticed. It's disgusting," Mai comments and Ty Lee looks scared for a flicker of a second before brightening her face again.

They are seated and Ty Lee wishes she could grab onto Azula, who's next to her, because she is kind of horrified. Does this mean they're a real couple? Ty Lee never thought they would be a _real couple_. She was just a fan. An adoring fan. Then she wound up… here.

She does hold Azula's hand. Azula has never let Ty Lee do that in public before, but the victor does not let go. That thrills Ty Lee.

"So, it is the escort I have heard so little about," President Shinohai says and Ty Lee's spirits are slightly dampened. She _hates_ feeling like Azula's secret. "Why did you choose to be an escort?"

"Oh, I always wanted to… save kids." Ty Lee's heart is in her throat.

"By deciding which little boys and girls go to die?" Mai asks dryly and Ty Lee blushes bright red.

"Be polite," Ozai orders and she leans back in her chair. "She doesn't decide. She just draws the lottery. Her work before the Harmony Games is very important to survival."

"Thank you," Ty Lee says brightly. "I love my job. I always was so fascinated by the Harmony Games. Picking your favorite and…" She turns pinker than her braid. "Azula was my all-time favorite. I was crazy about her. I guess everybody was but I had a poster of her and some comic books and maybe the action figure."

"Were her lips worn out in the poster?" Mai asks and Ty Lee tries not to glare. She really cannot afford to be rude to the First Lady, even if the First Lady is a bitch.

"I'm not like a stalker. I'm like a fan who got lucky enough to meet their favorite celebrity," Ty Lee says honestly and no one protests.

"Well, what are the odds of that? They must be in your favor." Mai says sardonically and Ty Lee shrinks in her chair. She exuded confidence moments ago, but now she is realizing the reality of her situation.

"Let's talk about something that doesn't make her look like she got her skin dyed beet red," Ozai says and they all obey.

[X]

It starts out uncomfortably, but after two hours Ty Lee feels almost at ease with Azula's family. They avoid current events or anything about the Harmony Games. They talk about television, about this and that, nothing that brought up anyone's childhood; Ty Lee is glad of that, since she tries to hide her past in District 8 at all costs.

Azula gets up, her father gets up, they stand beside a placidly babbling waterfall with no decent excuse to their girls.

"You wanted to talk to me before the Victory Tour, not her," Azula says and he nods. "Why now?"

"Because it is the anniversary of the day I last asked," he says and Azula's breath catches. She had hoped he had given up on that, or at least let it slide.

She should have known better.

"And you want Ty Lee and Asami here to remind me what's at stake." He likes his games very much. Azula dislikes his games very much.

"You are such a smart girl," he says smoothly

Across the restaurant, Ty Lee is left alone with Mai, which is super uncomfortable.

"She chews people up and spits them out," Mai says and Ty Lee wrings her hands. "You seem like a bubbly person who couldn't handle what she does. Leave her while you still can."

"I have to know her for a long time," Ty Lee says and Mai shrugs.

"In my opinion, I think you should break it off while you still can. She isn't the kind of person you should look for a real, healthy relationship with," Mai explains.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ty Lee asks.

"To warn you. I think you deserve a warning about her. Anyone would."

Ty Lee wishes she had evidence to throw in Mai's face. But there isn't really anything about her six-month relationship with Azula that proves Mai's assertion wrong.

Across the restaurant, Ozai inquires, "Have you have reconsidered my offer from last year?"

Azula takes a very slow breath. She might be able to afford a question in response. "What are you planning for the Quarter Quell?"

"Whatever chance decides, of course." He almost laughs but catches himself first.

She would call him out on that blatant lie if she had no memory of last time. It will be carefully planned, of course, seeing as it is such an important event. And she is certain it will also be carefully planned to do the most damage to the rebels.

"I..." She follows his gaze. It deliberately landed on the girl in the shiny carnation hued dress. She turns back to him. "I would be honored to make the best Quarter Quell history has seen."

"I like your confidence," he says mockingly.

He gives her a look that makes her feel like a bunny-mouse sighted by an owl-hawk.

Azula used to be a predator, but now she is prey.

[X]

Asami has still not gotten over the beauty of the Presidential Palace. She has had three quick glimpses of it on her visits to the Capitol, since they have her stay in this ritzy hotel, but even the same room seems to be different and more awe inspiring every time she steps inside.

"He'll be ready for you soon," Azula says, breaking free of the prep team, Prince Wu and Ty Lee. They all are overly eager to be taking a red-eye train to District 2 in an hour, in Asami's opinion.

She catches sight of Mimi and quickly scuttles over to her, her high heels pinching her toes relentlessly.

"Mimi," Asami says and the small girl looks up at her. She has such cute wolf tails like Korra; Asami has seen a ton of young girls wearing their hair like that. "Oh, your hair is _adorable_."

"I know," slurs the child.

Asami just smiles. Confidence is healthy.

"Korra and I would like to know if you would like to be our flower girl in the wedding," Asami asks and she can hear Ty Lee's gasp of overwhelmed excitement from across the huge foyer.

"Yeah," Mimi agrees, but her brow is knit.

"Do you know what that is?" Asami softly inquires.

"No," Mimi admits without hesitation.

Asami smiles wider. "Oh, well, ask your parents then."

"Mhm." Mimi shrugs.

Asami has a feeling that Mimi won't be asking. She also has a feeling that it won't be easy to work into her conversation with President Shinohai. Perhaps Azula could get Mai to do something about it; they are quite close.

She doesn't need to be told he is ready for her; she can tell from the expression of the slave girl waiting at the foot of the stairs.

Asami climbs up and lets herself be guided to a gilded door at the end of a long marble hall.

"President Shinohai, I am honored to meet with you," Asami says with a respectful bow as she enters his office. She has always tried to avoid meeting him, but he has visited Hiroshi more than once due to his invaluable inventions. Her mother made her hate him.

The office is as Asami would expect it to be. It has some relics and gorgeous artwork, a nice mahogany desk, and the horrid scent of blood and roses. The roses sting her nose even more than the smell of metallic rot. She cannot comprehend what kind of cologne that is, but it is unpleasant.

"Miss Sato, I think things will be much easier if we agree not to lie to each other, don't you?" Ozai says and Asami has chills.

His voice bothers her. It reminds her of vicious but calculated predators. Maybe that is why it triggers an instinctual response of fear.

"I do," Asami says, nodding and moving to sit down. She takes a slow breath. In and out. "I have nothing to hide or be dishonest about."

"I have a problem. A problem that began the moment you revealed that poison in the arena. I am impressed by your act. By the very brave move of proposing marriage. Crazed schoolgirl madly in love, unable to live without her. But, you see, there were certain factors that make this more complicated."

"Yes?"

"The Avatar, Miss Sato, the Avatar. Kuvira's display. It seemed you were going to sacrifice yourself to, what was it you said? _Break a cycle_."

"I was…" Asami purses her lips. She does think that this will be easier if she doesn't lie.

"You were supposed to win. She was supposed to die. You would go mad from the tragedy of losing your true love, and you would fade into the background and live the life of a victor, as promised. Unfortunately, you decided it was time for a noble sacrifice. You have almost succeeded at breaking your cycle. I will not let that happen."

Asami studies her nails and then looks up. "It must be a very fragile cycle if it can be broken by two teenage girls and a bottle of poison."

"It is. After all, it's the law of averages, you said?"

"Yes, sir," Asami says softly, now tapping her foot nervously on the floor. "Why not just kill Korra?"

"She'd be reborn, which would only complicate things for me. You are worth keeping alive. You are a very good distraction from her, but it is not enough. The Capitol may be buying your act but the districts are not convinced."

"I'm not a leader. I'm an inventor," Asami insists earnestly.

Ozai is not swayed. "Then _invent_ a new persona that I find more palatable. You need to make sure Korra loves you, and that she believes every word you say. You need to make sure that the United Republic sees you two as silly schoolgirls who are nonthreatening and prepared to end it all if you couldn't have each other."

"I don't know what that would do," Asami says softly. She hastily tacks on, "sir. I can't take back what I did in the Games."

"The cycle has been threatened before, but my generosity and clever people like you have stifled any real rebellion."

Timed. Probably intentionally timed. The door opens and Asami turns to see the First Lady. She sets down two cups of tea on the table and Asami smiles at her. She gets an indifferent once over in response.

"This is two minutes late because Azula's airhead girlfriend tried to help and broke the first two cups. I'm sorry," she says halfheartedly and his eyes drift from his guest to her.

"You can leave," he says and Asami imagines Mai as slicing his throat open, but she just walks away.

Ozai looks directly at Asami.

She cautiously nods. So, that interruption _was_ intentional.

Asami considers taking the tea before changing her mind.

"Afraid of something?" he asks and she shakes her head. "We promised not to lie to each other."

"Just afraid of an ironic death," she says and he smiles at her like she is a cat standing on its hind paws.

 _The girl from the districts thinks she's people_ , Asami hears in her head.

He tilts his head to the side and examines her before straightening again. "Do you remember how the first mentors were selected?"

"Uh..." Asami should.

"They were chosen by lottery. After the Century of Ash, the rebel soldiers were taken care of in various ways. The lucky eighteen were chosen to use their expertise as soldiers to try to save the lives of the young tributes. It's a very powerful way to destroy an enemy." Pause. "Not that the victors are enemies. No, I simply mean that an image change can do wonders."

"I can... understand," she says, but can see he does not think so.

"I want you to imagine the consequences of dividing the elements. Thousands upon thousands dead, like in a war that lasted centuries. You fought very hard in the… reenactment of that nightmare, but it was nothing more than a pageant. Would you like to fight in a real war?"

"No," Asami says softly, shaking her head.

"I thought so. Korra is a threat to everything you know and love. I imagine you understand the importance of keeping her, her powers and her influence under control."

"You want me to make sure she doesn't… do any Avatar stuff?"

"Yes. There is no better way to control someone than with _love_ and you're cute enough to bat your eyelashes and make anyone forget their malicious desires. I also want you to make sure that the Victory Tour and wedding go very smoothly. I think over the past six months you have come to understand your new role in life. She, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be the type for such delicate operations."

Asami swallows. "I'll keep her under control." Pause. "Sir."

"Good." He sips his tea.

Asami feebly smiles.

[X]

That evening, Azula lies on a sofa on the speeding train. Ty Lee sits on the floor beneath her. They both are watching the _Varrick_ special featuring Asami and his own lengthy commentaries on the quickly approaching wedding and Victory Tour.

"That dress is _gorgeous_ ," Ty Lee gushes, her sentence punctuated with a dreamy sigh. "I can't wait until the wedding! Asami asked me to be in her bridal party!"

"I can barely contain my excitement," Azula replies sarcastically. "You care too much about this pageant."

Ty Lee gasps. "You're Maid of Honor! You don't care _enough_."

"I'm only Maid of Honor because I'm her sister and the mentor who saved her life," Azula says but Ty Lee thinks those are both very valid reasons to make her the Maid of Honor.

"Those are really good reasons." Pause. "What did your dad talk to you about?"

Azula blinks in disbelief. She did not think anyone alive would ask something like that.

"Do you not see the cameras everywhere?" Azula demands and Ty Lee blanches.

"I…" Okay, Ty Lee really didn't notice that. "I'm not used to being under this much scrutiny. Most of my life, people didn't even notice that I existed."

"That's kind of sad," Azula admits. "It does explain why you so desperately crave attention."

Ty Lee's jaw drops and she shrieks, "I don't desperately crave attention! That's ridiculous!"

"No, it's not."

"Will you stop being mean?" Ty Lee yelps.

"No, I won't." Azula shoots her lover an icy smirk.

They are interrupted by one of the peacekeepers on the train. The one who speaks so gruffly. The one who speaks at all, for that matter.

"We're about to arrive at District 2."

Azula leans over to Ty Lee and whispers, "So it begins."

Ty Lee bats her away.


	8. Book 2: The Smoke Before the Snowstorm

**Chapter Two  
The Smoke Before the Snowstorm**

 _She's my little sister. Mine to torture and mine to protect._  
 _-On the Way to the Wedding, Julia Quinn-_

* * *

 ** _The 70th Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _"An actual volunteer," the District 2 escort announces in awe. She shoves the microphone in Azula's face. What's your name?"_

 _"Depends on who's asking."_

 _The escort is the only person who laughs. "Really, now, dearest."_

 _Azula clenches her jaw. She does not like being called 'dearest' but she does not risk her life by saying it. This is what she wants and she will follow their rules if she can win. Winning is the most important thing, after all._

 _"Azula."_

 _"Just Azula?"_

 _"Just Azula," she says, because she is leaving Hiroshi Sato behind for eternity, whether she lives or dies._

 _[X]_

 _After her victory, she adopts the surname Shinohai like Ozai adopts her._

 _Because the name has power, she tries to convince herself._

 _Because her father gave it to her, she knows is true._

* * *

The evening Asami returns to District 2, she and Korra stand in front of the cameras after being styled. They are turned off for a few more minutes, but Korra keeps staring directly into one of the lenses, and Asami is trying not to laugh at the frantic cameramen.

"Focus on the wedding planning," Azula whispers to both girls. "That's all they want to hear about. They don't need to know anything else about your lives; it's too much for viewers to digest."

The cameras turn to them and expect a kiss and a few answered questions before they film the walk to the train station and the swift goodbyes to their families and friends.

Korra hooks her and Asami's elbows together as they step onto the train and the red lights on the cameras flicker out.

[X]

They will be traveling all night. Azula cannot sleep; Asami cannot either.

The elder sister raids the bar and walks out to the glass table Asami has not moved from in over an hour. Azula pours a blue soda into an ice-filled glass and sets it in front of her sister, before beginning to pour one for herself.

"What is this?" Asami inquires. It smells strongly of raspberries.

"It's called Bliss. It's a soda with drugs in it that make you calm," Azula says as the blue fizz settles.

Asami laughs. Then Asami realizes she is wholly honest.

"The Capitol is weird," Asami whispers, but she drinks it anyway.

It helps Azula.

She has been anything but _calm_ lately. She thought it was bad when she could not stop thinking about herself, could not stop thinking about a syringe going into a little girl's neck or the bark of evergreens scraping against her skin as she tries put out a wildfire with nothing but her two hands. Now she thinks about the Avatar's glowing eyes or the looks of Asami dying in dried up woods

"My stepmother mixes it with alcohol. There's a warning on the back about doing that, but she doesn't listen." Azula pours clear liquid into hers and shakes it with a thoughtful expression. "I'm not a drunk, but I'm considering becoming one. Maybe a junkie?"

Azula sips it and after the burn that makes her want to gag, it settles quite nicely. The aftertaste is even pleasant, if a bit sharp.

"I don't think you could be either. You like being in control too much," Asami says as she takes another two sips. She can already feel the effects setting in.

"Like I controlled your Games," Azula cavalierly comments.

Silence. Asami licks her lips. "Did you try to kill Korra?"

"I sent you that poison. So yes. I never wanted her to live, because only one of you was intended to come out of that arena." Azula shrugs and takes another nauseating sip.

"Even after she was the Avatar?" Asami whispers. She does not touch her drink.

Azula hesitates before downing the rest of her drink. She feels woozy. There probably is a reason for that warning on the bottle.

"Loving someone always requires you not to love others. I loved— _love_ —you and so I was willing to kill anyone who stood in the way of your survival," Azula earnestly says, but Asami still looks concerned. "Don't develop a conscience."

"I don't have to develop one. I was born with one, like most people." Asami pauses. "I love you too. I'm not a psychopath, but I would do anything to protect you too."

"Even though I left you?" Azula downs her drink in one gulp and Asami watches her retch.

Love _literally_ sickens her elder sister, which Asami would find funny under any other circumstances.

"I don't blame you for what you did. I didn't understand for a long time, but then I realized you weren't made for the life mom got you stuck in. You were made to win the Harmony Games. You were made to be President Shinohai one day. I don't always believe in destiny, but when I do, I believe that was yours," Asami whispers.

"How kind," Azula bitterly replies and Asami frowns into her Bliss. "I think so too, although you probably shouldn't have said it."

"I know I shouldn't've. But I did. I just want to know if I can trust you," Asami says with a familiar sparkle in her eyes. Azula almost forgets what she is and what Asami is and just feels like a sister. But that fantasy fades quickly.

"You can't," Azula says.

Asami sighs. "At least you're honest about one thing."

She phrases it as if it is so positive.

Azula envies her.

[X]

The next morning, Asami is sleep deprived.

Her nightmare is always the same. She sees Ikki in a thousand situations. Asami kills her again and again and again in her sleep. During the day, she has been figuring out how to stop those feelings and thoughts. But how can she protect herself from the pain at night? Her subconscious controls her and forces her to hear a cannon and smell the smoke of an explosion and a child's burning flesh.

As for her sister, Azula is still reeling from disobeying that warning label and is trying not to pass out on Ty Lee's shoulder.

Ty Lee attempts to go over the schedule, despite no one listening to her. Something about remembering that the Districts are out of order due to location and so they should stop organizing their notes by number – not that anyone was organizing theirs in the first place.

Korra is blatantly nervous.

And Hama just seems calm and patient. But it is the calm patience of a hunter watching an animal dancing ever-closer to a trap.

"I wrote you two cards. Stick to them," Azula manages to slur. Ty Lee pushes on her, pouting.

Asami has been reading over hers. Korra has not.

District 4 is the closest to District 2. Its river valleys touch their marshland in some places, despite the distance between the huge fences. Korra looks up at their fence while it opens and for the first time realizes just how _big_ they are. She grew up beneath the shadows of gigantic chain-link fences, but she never looked at it until she was forced to stare head on.

It should be easy enough. None of those deaths mattered… well, Asami was certainly _sobered_ by Hahn's death, but he was a jerk. She feels bad about the twelve-year-old but he went quickly.

They are greeted with parties and a feast that makes Asami queasy. Korra kisses her for repeated photo ops. This is a part-time career district and they don't hate the Games as much as others might. Those others are the ones Asami is afraid of.

District 5 expects Asami to speak, but she has no words about. She knew him only as a total jerk with an obnoxious strut until the moment he died. Kindness, however, is important in preventing an assassination attempt.

She reads the cards Azula gives her and there isn't a single problem. They have this stunning waterfall in District 5 that makes Asami feel so tiny and insignificant. It's a _good_ feeling after her six months of limelight. Korra tries to bend it.

It ends with Ty Lee's make-up and dress ruined and a very halfhearted and sarcastic lecture about it from Azula.

But District 3 is next. It is a _cold_ district, to the north of the past two.

Korra's second favorite victor is waiting for them, holding her high heels in one hand after winking at a stylist and telling him not to bother.

"Why do you hate her again?" Asami whispers to her sister as Hama very warmly greets Katara and Korra jumps around like an excited child.

Azula sniffs in sharply. "I have my reasons."

Asami cocks an eyebrow at her. "So by that you mean you have no reasons at all?"

"I'm allowed to hate whomever I please," Azula snaps.

Asami is silent. Then she snickers, " _Whomever_ …"

"I speak properly. You could too, if you wanted to be important."

To that, Asami can only sigh. She can see her breath, which distracts her for a long few moments. "I've had enough of being important to last a couple lifetimes."

"This one won't be easy."

"I know. I can handle it."

"You're not the one I'm worried about. I mean, you did kill the girl, but Korra has that whole mess with Lu Ten and Ikki thanks to her, so…" Azula says, referring to the quite violent deaths of two twins at the hands of her tributes.

"I'm going to graciously apologize, and say the words you feed me. Korra will also do that, but probably less graciously. I swear."

"Mhm…"

[X]

Asami taps the microphone and then feels a chill. She tries to tell herself it's because fashion parkas don't seem to do what parkas are meant to do, but she knows it is because she is dreading this speech.

She sees the peacekeepers containing what could be a _situation_. They have guns, while the endless crowd of people are in homemade clothes, thin and shivering in the cold. Asami instantly feels guilt for being dressed the way she is. This is a _rich_ district. She cannot imagine what the poor ones are like.

"Eska nearly killed both of us," Asami says. Why do the cards say that? "But I understand why. It's for the same reason I fought back. We fought for love and—" Asami shuffles the cards and nearly drops them, "—and sometimes loving someone means not loving other people."

Asami falls silent. _Of course_ Azula would.

It does ring true at the moment, Asami has to admit.

[X]

"That could have gone worse!" Ty Lee suggests, smiling. They are among the many fires that burn for the party and at least the speeches are over. This is pure water district, but they are as reliant on the flames as the Capitol is reliant on their fresh reservoirs.

"It could've," Asami says, clinging more tightly to Korra. "Oh, it's Katara!"

Asami drags Korra away where she knows Azula and her girlfriend won't follow.

Azula turns to Ty Lee. They have not done much _talking_ on this trip, and Azula has not been left alone with her yet. She had too many fans in the previous districts.

"Do you want to dance with me?"

"I don't dance," Azula replies.

"Oh, it's just like bending. Or so I hear. You're _the best_ bender in the whole world, so you're probably the second best dancer."

"Who's the first?" Azula asks.

"Me." Ty Lee kisses Azula and pulls her towards the music.

[X]

That night on the train, "Hi," Ty Lee says as she sits beside Azula on the bed they have been unofficially sharing.

Azula has been locked in her room, staring out of the window with an untouched cup of coffee in her hands for at least an hour now. Ty Lee imagines she is scared, but she also imagines that Azula does not show fear.

The scariest place that exists is not an arena or the slums of a district; it is the inside of Azula Shinohai's mind.

She does not know what she was thinking about while she stared so blankly, but it was painful. It feels now like she has taken medication for the pain itself, but knows that it is throbbing beneath the weak veil of numbness. Ty Lee roused her from it and now Azula can focus on someone instead of her thoughts.

"What do you want?" Azula asks sharply. Ty Lee refuses to stand down.

"I want to make sure you're okay," Ty Lee says, setting her hand over Azula's. "You're not okay, I think, and I think you know that."

"I didn't know you were capable of thinking about more than your hair."

"You know that's not true. You're scared of loss and losing people—"

"No. I'm not, because I _won_ and that's all that matters to me."

"You say that a lot, but it's not true. Losing the people you care about is worse than losing your life."

"Maybe to the weak and pathetic. Those people fail because they let attachment get in the way. I'm not stupid. There may be people I want to protect, but there is _no one_ left that I _love_. There is no one that I have _ever_ loved, and so, no, it doesn't matter. I won _it all_."

"Well, if you don't love anybody, why do you want to protect them?"

"I protect those who give me things I like."

Azula leaves her own room before Ty Lee tries to push her further.

What Ty Lee says about _loss_ doesn't matter. Azula won.

[X]

District 6 is a breeze, despite being grim and depressing. They are no longer in the richest districts and it shows. The homes are in shambles. Even the Water Tribe housing looks better than that in 2. They have more peacekeepers on patrol, and the people look so wan. Time moves slower here than it does in the others. In 2 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 people have places to be and... things to lose.

These are the districts President Shinohai talked about. The ones that have nothing to lose.

No one even bothers her about Ginger and the fact that Asami kind of looted her corpse before accidentally killing a twelve-year-old. Ginger does look gorgeous on the screens and Asami thinks the dead tribute would be pleased about it.

The security seems strict, even compared to 6, and the buildings look even more daunting and decrepit than the ones in the heart of District 2. Yet, the crowd seems to be almost as happy as the career districts. Or maybe they are just more afraid than the last ones, and when the applause is prompted, they have no choice but to obey.

District 7 is horrifying.

Not only because of the people they must face, but because of the fences. Asami has seen tenements in 2, but she has never seen anything like the shacks among the grim desert. They are made of mud and fenced in and falling apart. The watchtowers on the fence make Asami feel like she is a criminal, like the peacekeepers are just waiting for an excuse to pull the trigger.

A little boy sits begging on the side of the street. She sees more of them. Asami wants to do something, but she does not know what. She has never seen anything as messed up as this before. What did they do? Their ancestors lost a war. That's it.

Asami throws up twice before they even reach the station. Azula gives her anti-nausea medication and mutters warnings that do not make anything easier.

This is the worst possible one. Asami has gradually seen the world decay around her. Every single time they get off the train, they enter a world that makes her feel like an heiress again. Like a cute princess with no grasp on the outside world. She feels worse than someone in the Capitol as they enter a bleak tunnel of poverty.

Korra tries not to think about it.

"This place is grim," Korra remarks and anyone would have thought she was confident – Asami, however, could see her shaking hands. "Is that a tumbleweed? Are tumbleweeds real?"

Korra is shaking and trying to cover up her fear with dumb comments. This whole place makes her feel about to cry.

"It's the desert. District 9 won't be much better," Asami says, choking out her reply.

"Nah, District 9 is a prairie, remember? They at least have grass that isn't trying to escape."

"That _is_ true," Asami says, although the textbooks from school lied about every District she has visited so far. The dull schoolbooks might as well have been travel brochures compared to reality.

The peacekeepers rush them as fast as they can to the Justice Building and Ty Lee checks over Korra and Asami's looks once more before they go out.

"Smile!" Ty Lee shouts. She then pouts and turns to Azula. "They never smile. They smile less than you."

Korra is not ready for this. She thinks she understands why Asami was so violently ill now. The Avatar can see the glistening eyes of every person in the massive audience. She sees the families of two people who died because of her.

Asami averts her eyes from Ikki's family. Young, pregnant mother bent in grief. Siblings who seem almost clueless. Somber father. The other tributes' families were similar, but none of them filled Asami with such overwhelming guilt.

 _Stick to the script,_ Asami thinks as hard as she can as she feigns a loving gaze at Korra. Her efforts at telepathy, however, are lackluster.

Korra smiles and gives her scripted introduction. It is not met with applause as it has been before. She, previously proud as could be, now shrinks.

And Korra smiles and says, "I have said a lot of things about love on this trip. Most of them were designed to be quotable in magazines."

Asami grabs the cards out of Korra's hands and, as if Korra's comment about magazines were not bad enough, tears them up. Openly. They are lucky that they are not shot instantly.

Azula sits down. Of course. _Of course_. This is the girl who robbed a peacekeeper of his weapon during her private audience with the gamemakers. This is the girl who dared to look straight at a camera and say _no_ to killing another tribute.

She might as well have never written that speech.

Korra continues, "I love Asami and I wouldn't have her if it weren't for the—the unnecessary but brave sacrifices of two really good people. I loved Ikki too, but, somebody told me the other day that sometimes loving someone means not loving other people. I think she was wrong, because I wish every day that I could have died in that explosion instead. I'd—I'd be reborn—"

And Ty Lee whispers, "Oh no."

And Azula whispers, "We're screwed."

"I'd be reborn so it's not fair. None of it is fair. And… even though this can in no way replace your losses, I would like to help the people Ikki loved and Lu Ten loved because they loved those people just as much as I loved Asami and so Asami and me would like to donate one month of our winnings to their families every year for as long as we live."

The crowd responds with gasps and murmurs. Ikki's mother bursts into tears.

And Ty Lee whispers, "Can she do that?"

And Azula whispers, "She can't, but she did."

There's prompted applause. Azula breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe they will pay later, but there is not an uncontrollable mess, just a touching gesture. She could give that act a justifiable angle.

Their mayor steps forward and gifts the two girls bouquets and a small gold coin of their District symbol, as is customary. The ceremony is coming to an end and there will be a party, thank the spirits. That should shut down the palpable anger simmering in the crowd.

Asami is about to say _thank you_ before she notices Ikki's older sister staring at her. She is the only person who has made eye contact with Asami since she arrived in District 7.

"Th—I'm sorry," she says directly into the microphone. "I'm so sorry that I did this. I'm so sorry. I don't stop seeing Ikki. Ever. I don't stop thinking about hearing that cannon and being so selfish that I just worried if it was Korra or not. I'm so sorry that I ran away from what I did. That was wrong, and I hate myself for it. I'm so sorry that I chose not to love anybody but myself that day. I'm just sorry. I can't say that enough because I never stop thinking it."

Asami sees orange and is confused by it at first. Then she sees that it is a fire. Is it coming at her? No… it's not.

It is the flag of the United Republic burning in front of her. The flames hungrily devour it, but linger on the fabric for a few breathless moments before its ashes fall onto the crowd below.

Then the wildfire turns to the soldiers. Not Asami and Korra, not them, but they caused it. It is their fault but now the chaos is so strong and the flames are so bright that Asami's head spins.

She does not think of much as peacekeepers grab she and Korra and pull them both inside, away from the screams and scent of burning cloth, burning wood, burning _flesh_.

Azula takes Asami from the soldiers and forces her away from the window.

"Don't watch," Azula orders and Asami, for once, obeys her.

Korra, however, sees the whole thing. The riot is silenced by hoses of water, which made sense to her at first; the place was on fire. Then she sees the firebender who lit the flag dragged up to where she abandoned her bouquet, now a pile of ash.

She sees a pair of peacekeepers force him onto his knees in the sudden silence…

And put a bullet through his head.

[X]

"I'm sorry!" Asami shouts at her mentor as they are violently ushered back to the train. Asami was punched in the ribs, and is still recovering from it as she tries to apologize.

"Shut your mouth," Azula vehemently snarls, shoving a peacekeeper off of her and speeding up her pace to avoid retaliation. "You have done enough apologizing for today!"

The peacekeepers shove them onto the train and Azula pushes one off of her. She gives him a warning glance and he shies away, taking Hama more gently and guiding her away. Asami looks over her shoulder and sees Korra crying.

She didn't think that Korra could cry like that.

Silently.

Broken.

Azula glares at Asami as the train lurches and begins to move far ahead of schedule.

"I can't believe you did that. What's wrong with you? Why do you want to die?" Azula snarls.

Asami knows that tone, but the new accent makes her skin prickle.

"I did it. I can't change that," Asami says, refusing to budge. "I needed to do it, because it was true."

"That man will not be the only person who dies because of what you just did," Azula states. "You could've been shot down on the spot for that sweet apology. My father will not tolerate this."

"He isn't your father," Asami says through a clenched jaw. "Hiroshi Sato is—"

"Some pathetic excuse for a man who married a woman who happened to unwilling give birth to me. But that isn't the problem here. The problem is that you couldn't afford that. I can't think of anyone who wasn't angry about something on their Victory Tour, but none of them did that," Azula growls.

Asami's composure at last breaks. "You obviously messed up at least once! I was _reaped_ and that was because of something you did!"

Azula steps back. "That's my business, not yours."

Asami steps forward. "It _is_ my business! I deserve to know what got me into this mess in the first place!"

Azula hesitates. She supposes she would wind up telling Asami eventually. Asami would ask at some point in time.

"I ran away," Azula whispers, her eyes flickering to the cameras on the ceiling.

Asami is not satisfied. "Why?"

"Because I called him out on his lies and told him some very unkind things."

"What lies?" It's, of course, like pulling teeth.

"He said mother told him she miscarried, but even if she did, he would know. He keeps very close tabs on victors and one who was potentially pregnant with his bastard would presumably be put under a microscope. He knew and did nothing for me until I was of use to him. But none of that matters. He has given me the world. He has given me all I want and—"

"Why did you tell him those things?"

"I was angry."

"Oh! You were angry about something? I thought _everyone_ was angry about something and managed not to commit mild treason," Asami says with a mirthless laugh.

Azula grits her teeth. "He asked me to be Head Gamemaker and I said no. It escalated."

"So he had me Reaped? You… why would you say no?" Asami's expression sours. Her amusement turns into glacial fire.

"Because I don't care much about people other than myself, but I couldn't bear that."

"So inconveniently moral of you."

"I agreed this year. He asked me again the afternoon before the tour started. He threatened her and it would be worse than what he did to you. I'm making the Quarter Quell."

Asami's eyebrows shoot up. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"He'll announce it at the wedding. I thought it could wait."

Azula walks away.

"Yeah! Run! You always do!" Asami screams after her before collapsing into a puddle on the sofa.

She lets herself cry now that she is alone.

[X]

Meanwhile in District 2, "The feed cut out," says Iroh II.

He has been diligently watching the Victory Tour, because he knew Korra would do something brash like that. She never has had a decent sense of self-preservation, despite the ego that always made him laugh.

The first day she came to train with him, her hand shot up when he asked if anyone thought they were ready to take him on in a spar. She got beaten bloody two weeks in a row, but she never quit fighting her hardest. Like that, she got better than everybody else and became something of an underground probending hero.

The other pro-benders put together a pool of donations to help sponsor her. Unfortunately, Asami seemed to get the attention of everyone else. Not that he is unhappy that Asami Sato came home. He always thought she was very kind and very clever, and she proved herself to be very brave in the Games. But Korra was his student and his friend.

"Of course it did," says On Ji. She's small and can sit in front of the television set without obscuring Iroh II's view for a moment. "They got the flag burning on live TV, though. Is that bad?"

She does not get an answer because someone knocks loudly on the door. It _pounds_ and Iroh II leaps to his feet, wondering what could be so important. He opens the door and five peacekeepers flood in.

Iroh calmly says, "I didn't do anything and you have no right to—

On Ji screams. Iroh hears a familiar sound. A sound he never forgot.

Torn flesh and gushing blood.

Iroh lunges forward with a blaze that sets his own home on fire. He doesn't care; he has to do something.

It takes five bullets to make his fire cease.

For the next two days, the smoke from the Victor's Village rises uncontrollably – much like the smoke from the fire that Asami and Korra sparked with their acts of defiance.

[X]

The deaths feel surreal from so far away.

Korra now understands why District 2 has a history of mysterious deaths of its victors. They won both Quarter Quells; acts of defiance are common enough that Korra is surprised they were never nuked to oblivion. It explains the lack of careers anymore. It explains the loneliness of the Victor's Village.

President Shinohai does it during the Victory Tour for a reason. Korra, Asami, Hama, Azula. That's it. That's all that's left and Korra knows that it is so they have to live with it. He cannot kill them, and so he kills others to serve as a reminder.

"We messed up," Asami says quietly. It didn't need to be said, but she hated the silence. "I should have done something."

"You didn't know," Korra insists.

Asami bows her head slightly. "I did know. P-President Shinohai talked to me before I last left the Capitol. He said to… keep you under control." She then knows she must lie. The cameras make that the only option. "I just love you so much and he knows I do. He knows I would do anything to protect you and our future."

Korra believes her.

And an hour later, all Azula offers is, "Eventually you'll be able to lie and feel nothing at all."

"You say that because you're a complete psychopath. _I_ care about people other than myself."

"Ouch. I know it's difficult to know about the others. I know that means I'm going to be mentoring a lot more than—"

" _See_! Only yourself! Our mother was so right about you! You are so much like him!"

" _Your_ mother told me I was too much like my father." Azula sighs and drums her fingers on the table. "She was right, evidently, but it still hurt."

"She was," Asami whispers fiercely. "She really was."

Asami shoves something cold and metal into Azula's hand and storms out of the room.

Azula sighs and sits down with the pin she gifted her sister before the Harmony Games pinched between two of her fingers.

She tilts the phoenix towards the sun and watches the light and shadows dance on the gold.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _The next chapter is going to be an interlude as part of a series of five interludes I'm writing. They're lengthy and tell the story of five different Harmony Games. Next chapter will be the entirety of Mai's games, then a few chapters of the regular fic, then Hama, and so forth, ending with Azula. I was originally making a separate fic for them, but then it seemed pointless when I could just do them in here. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you're enjoying the show!_


	9. Interlude 1: Mai

**Interlude One  
The 65th Annual Harmony Games**

 _Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive._  
 _-City of Heavenly Fire, Cassandra Clare-_

* * *

The day before the Reaping, Mai almost dies.

How? She gets beaten half to death. Why? Because she gets caught hopping the fence.

Mai has done it a thousand times before without anyone caring, other kids have done it before without anyone caring, but District 9 recently received a new peacekeeper with some compensation issues. Compensation issues she probably should not have loudly pointed out in front of all of his little soldier friends.

But it starts earlier than that.

A few hours earlier than the moment she is dragged in handcuffs towards the Market Square.

She is up early – which is a rarity – and waiting by the fence. There is a perfect hiding place behind the deserted old offices on the edge of District 9. It is where the fence isn't electrified due to a break that no one has bothered to fix.

District 9 is dry. It consists of prairie as far as the eye can see. Save for the strong flow of water and the reservoir. Power. District 9 generates electricity for the Capitol, but cannot even successfully electrify its fence.

Mai quietly sharpens a knife for no reason other than needing to do something with her hands. Zuko gets here. She looks up at him with a glint in her eyes that might as well be a smile.

"Sorry I'm late. I just got back from the train station."

"The Reaping is tomorrow… and they had you there?"

"Yeah." He doesn't talk about his time in the Capitol. Mai doesn't ask.

"Whatever. You promised you'd take me to the minefields and I expect to be taken to the minefields," Mai calmly states, but he sees her eyes sparkle ever-so-slightly. He does not think he has ever seen her so excited.

"Yeah." Zuko opens the wire on the fence and she slips through.

On the other side, the land is just as long and flat. Mai does not know where the next district begins or where the horizon lies. It is _easy_ to get spotted in land like this, but Mai has never been a fan of following rules. She got a quite unsavory nickname for bringing a certain pet to school and spending an afternoon in the hospital.

Zuko orients himself and starts walking towards the place he discovered as a kid.

Before he won the 60th Harmony Games, he was a homeless orphan. He still lived in the Victor's Village, hiding in the abandoned, decrepit houses. Only the victor before him, Fujita Fan, lived there and he steered clear of her alone. When he still slept on the streets at night, before he moved in unofficially or officially, he finished scavenging through trash cans when an older boy took him in the woods and taught him how to hunt for food and make fires to stay warm. Mai was fairly wealthy when her father was alive, but after he died in a bar brawl her useless mother left her and her brother starving to death. Zuko imparted that same knowledge on her.

They still go out here. This no man's land is the only place they feel free, and it is the only place where he knows he can keep her safe.

"So, the minefields are…?" Mai asks and Zuko smirks. "Oh, don't look so evil."

"They're leftovers from the end of the war. They aren't traps on the ground like the ones in the schoolbooks; they're more sophisticated than that. They… actually remind me of the traps in the Games. They're triggered from the same mechanism, at least." Zuko freezes and holds up his arm to stop Mai.

She stares at him. He is silent and then he leans backwards to pick up a rock.

While brushing the dirt off of it, he asks, "Do you see that red light?"

"No." Mai has to squint and scour to find it, but she at last does. It flickers and flashes above the ground. "Yes."

"That means there's a live one." Zuko throws the rock towards the tiny red light and, suddenly, a gust of violent wind bursts from what looked like innocent trees. "I'm glad that wasn't fire. I ran into one of those once and I'm glad I can bend."

"So, they haven't cleared them out in like seventy years?" Mai cannot believe that anyone would leave all of this here. When she looks around, she sees so many of those lights, and the remnants of traps.

"Too much of a hassle, and too dangerous. It's illegal for people to come here anyway. Only idiots like us would risk it," Zuko says and Mai gets it. "So, you do have knives up your sleeve in case we get spotted, right?"

"Yup." Mai pauses. "Wait, I have a great target practice idea."

Zuko notices the bow and hastily says, "That is not a great idea. Don't do that."

But Mai doesn't listen. She pulls it off of her back, smoothly seizes an arrow and holds her breath as she locks in on one of the red lights. It's far enough away that she cannot imagine it would do _that_ much damage.

She releases the arrow and Zuko prepares to run. It bursts and the ground disappears, revealing a tiger-monkey style trap, spikes and all.

"They use these in the Games?" Mai asks, piecing together a thousand scenes of creative deaths in her head.

"I know that for a fact. Once I got to learn a little more than I should've, and I couldn't help but think about this place. I think they trigger them remotely in the Games, though, from a control room or something. Like starting a fire to force tributes together, or releasing mutts. I once shot one of these and a bunch of dead lizard type things came out."

"I'm almost impressed," Mai says dryly and Zuko gently shoves her shoulder. "I want to shoot another."

She does. A bush grows straight out of the ground to snatch someone in thorns. Mai is glad that one was farther away.

"I can't believe you can hit those," Zuko remarks, squinting at the new foliage.

"I have good aim," Mai flatly replies.

"No. I mean, that's supernatural or something. I've seen you hit animals but they're... less precise."

"I could do it with a dart too. Or a throwing knife..." Mai need not continue.

"Those things were designed to never be noticed, much less get triggered by _arrows_."

"Well, that's one thing my father did right."

Her father. Head Peacekeeper. Dead. Good riddance.

At least he taught her how to shoot, being a man who was as crooked as crooked gets.

"Just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt," Zuko says, touching her arm.

She looks up at him. "I'll _be careful_." Mai does not bother to hide the mockery.

He became _heroic_ after his Games. Mai thinks he might be overcompensating for killing kids, but that is just her theory. Zuko thinks he is the savior of all, when he is just some guy who was unlucky.

After Mai turns away from him, she hides her weapon, hops the fence, and finds herself face to face with one of the peacekeepers sent to oversee the Reaping.

Damn, damn, damn.

She gets dragged – literally dragged – away from the tall fence, across the dry dirt, to the dusty pavement and into the town square that is as silent as she is. It was bustling minutes ago, and now it is unsettlingly quiet.

Mai shows nothing, no emotion, no fear, no desire to give this jerk any satisfaction.

Until she blacks out.

[X]

Mai comes to with hands on her and panicked voices around her. The one face she can see properly is the most distinctive of them all; it is scarred beyond repair.

She slurs, "What the f—"

"She's awake," Zuko hastily says to…

Mai realizes she is in the Victor's Village. She has only been here once before, but she had hoped they would have the decency to take her to the District 9 hospital.

As if he could read her mind, Zuko says, "I stopped the…" He doesn't want to say flogging. "I stopped everything and took full responsibility for you, so, I, well, I…"

"Whatever," Mai murmurs before slipping out of consciousness again.

[X]

She wakes up in a bed that is not hers. Her brother sits at the end of it, nervously waiting for her to wake up. He is playing with that stupid string that turns into fancy shapes that vanish the minute your fingers get tired.

"Mai!" he calls out when he sees her eyes open.

"I'm not helping you make a damned sake glass," Mai whispers and he smiles from relief.

He was so afraid she would die. "Your cuts are really bad."

"That's unsurprising. I can smell the ointment." Pause. "We're not at home."

"Nope. Zuko Agni let us stay until the Reaping tomorrow. He's with mom right now."

"I assume she's humiliated by what I did," Mai says, rolling her eyes. Her mother is dirt poor and already despised without her maintaining a nonexistent reputation.

"She actually seemed worried about you," says Tom-Tom.

"It only took me getting whipped and beaten within an inch of my life." Mai sighs.

He wants to laugh, but cannot. It is too true.

Mai suddenly realizes that tomorrow is his first Reaping, and she should have realized it earlier. She _was_ worrying about it for a week before she got the opportunity to go to the minefields and forgot about life for a little while.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he barks.

"No reason." Pause. "Yeah, a reason. Tomorrow is your first Reaping. You should sleep."

"I can't," he whines.

"I'm fine."

"You could get Reaped too."

"Yeah, I'm aware, but I'd care slightly if you got Reaped and I don't care if I do."

He laughs. "I'm flattered that you'd care. How many times is your name in there?"

"I can't do math when I don't have any skin on my back."

"You can't do math even in good health," he retorts.

She rolls her eyes.

[X]

Mai realizes she fell asleep again when she wakes up in a panic. She knows this feeling; she has been riddled with it since her father decided he wasn't bad enough in life and decided to screw his family over by dying.

Her brother is curled up like a cat at the end of the bed.

She tries not to wake him as she feels her throat constrict. It's no use; he snaps up like she just played the United Republic Anthem right in his ear.

"You're having one of those breathing things."

"No, I'm not."

"Stop lying," he orders like a little _prince_.

"Be _helpful_ then."

"Sing," Tom-Tom says and Mai wants to punch him. She loves her little brother – he's the _only_ person she loves – but she does not like his idea. She doesn't like anyone's ideas about how to treat panic attacks. "No, I read in one of your books that it regulates your breathing and helps with the episode things you get."

"I don't know any songs," Mai chokes out, standing up and beginning to pace. She does not think she can breathe either.

"You know The Hanging Tree. I hear you sing it all the time when you think no one can hear you. Like in the shower, or when you're cleaning or..." Tom-Tom says.

"Whatever," Mai snaps, gasping and then seizing control of herself the best she can. " _They strung up a man / they say who murdered me_ —"

"Who murdered _three_ ," Tom-Tom corrects with narrowed eyes.

"I like 'me' better," Mai replies with her tone flat and her voice strained. "Whatever. _They say who murdered three / strange things did happen here / no stranger would it be / if we met at midnight_ …"

[X]

The next afternoon, "You look so nice when you dress up," mother says breathily. "You look like a model in _Capitol Couture_ when you're not trying to be so _moody_ and _grim_."

Mai tries not to roll her eyes.

"I suppose you'd love to see me all dressed up for the Harmony Games. The interview dress might make it on the front cover," Mai replies. Her mother frowns.

They arrive at the District 9 Market Square before her mother can reply. She looks directly at the stage built in a day over the place she was beaten. Mai could have been killed; the punishment for hopping that fence is a bullet in the face. It does not make her any happier about the situation.

She feels her heart start to race, but calms it. Never once has she shown emotion in public and she does not plan on starting now. Her brother tries to stay beside her, but she is grouped in with the fourteen-year-olds while he is taken to the twelve-year-olds.

Kiri Bian stands at the microphone as the mayor and Zuko Agni sit behind her.

Mai kind of likes her district's escort. She's disgustingly bubbly and always wears _orange_ , but she has a spark of sass in her that a defiant girl can't help but not hate. Mai also doesn't hate Zuko Agni.

Kiri reads the list of past victors. In sixty-four years, there have been three. Two are dead.

She meets eyes with the peacekeeper who wanted to give her a painful death and the Reaping fades out of focus. Mai envisions herself throwing the knife on his belt right between his eyes.

Mai is so caught up in that brief violent fantasy that she almost does not hear,

"Tomo Ukano."

Mai looks around frantically, seeking her brother. He is pale as he walks like a zombie towards the stage. The peacekeeper Mai was fantasizing about smirks.

The minute Mai sees that little smile, she knows what must be done.

"I volunteer as tribute." Too quiet. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Her heart pounds from the surge of adrenaline. She takes slow breaths and does what she does when she is practicing. The stage is the dart board; everyone else around her doesn't matter. The world doesn't exist. Nothing but Mai and the stage.

She lets the peacekeepers escort her, forcing herself not to wince from the pain in her back. Her mother cries – as if she suddenly cares about Mai. It is her brother who needs to be restrained as he tries to stop her.

But nothing exists other than the stage.

The silence is not just in her head, until, at last, Kiri collects herself and draws the name of the other Fire Tribute. From the stronger sectors, of course.

"Kei Lo Hiromi."

Mai doesn't know him. Yet, she supposes. She is shaking too much to think about him, or any of the other tributes she will soon face.

She lets herself be whisked away and taken into the Justice Building.

[X]

On the train, Zuko struggles to make himself leave his room. He currently stands in his private bathroom, and they have only just left the station after Mai and the other kid have said their goodbyes. Zuko does not want to think about Tom-Tom or Mai's weird mother.

"She's going to live," Zuko announces to himself in the mirror. It is a sentiment he should probably keep quiet, but he thinks anyone with a shred of a soul in them would feel the same way. "She's going to live. I will _make_ her live…"

Mai was his leverage. President Ozai Shinohai said she would be Reaped or killed or worse if he ever did not do as he was told. He did horrible things to make sure that never happened to her, but he could not keep her from volunteering.

Zuko wants her to be safe. All he has ever wanted is that.

[X]

Meanwhile, Mai sits on the train and gazes through the window. The districts blur by so quickly that she cannot even make out a single tree or rock. It is less beautiful than the escort promised her it would be. She imagines this ride to her probable death will be very boring.

Someone comes up behind her when she is trying to be alone with her thoughts.

"I think you can win," Zuko says and Mai shrugs. It hurts the wounds on her back to move like that but she ignores the pain. "I do. You have more fight in you than anyone else I know."

Mai sighs. "I don't know what will happen. I don't really care, but maybe I'll prove you right. Maybe I'll prove you wrong. I honestly could not care less about this stupid game."

He ignores her, of course.

"You can do so much with just one arrow or knife. You're probably better at that than even the strongest career…" He is about to talk about the minefields before he remembers the cameras.

"I don't need a pep talk." Mai stands up. "I really don't want to die, like most non-insane people."

"I'm not implying that. I…" Zuko again trails off, because she walks away to go lie down in the darkness of her bedroom.

Zuko needs that small girl to do big things.

She has to live.

[X]

"Those are _nasty_ ," a cute little blue prep girl shrieks as Mai lies on a cold metal table. She is in a steel room that smells like rubbing alcohol, and Mai _hates_ the smell of rubbing alcohol above all else. Nothing in this world makes her queasier. "You have a salve for this, right, Lee?"

"Somewhere," says the young man working along with her. He goes off digging for some menacing oil that Mai does not look forward to.

The _wax_ was bad enough.

When he returns, he does not hesitate to pour a foul-smelling liquid on her torn skin. She breathes in sharply as a strange tingling sensation spreads through her body.

The wounds have healed and vanished, not leaving a single scar.

[X]

After being dressed by a small-talk-obsessed stylist, Mai clutches the outside of a gilded chariot, garbed in black and ugly yellow electric strands that hold the dark fabric to her frame. She does not look at the boy next to her, or the competition around her, or the spectators screaming in excitement.

She does not want to play along with the Games.

Mai will fight to go out in a blaze of defiance, flipping the people who had her flogged and then groomed the double bird. That is a satisfying thought. She keeps it on her mind as the lights on her dress flicker on over her waist and flat chest in the dark night.

The chariot takes off. The motion makes her queasy. The fans make her sick.

She thinks about how easily they healed the wounds on her back when they needed to make her prettier. There are not even scars that could make the fans of the Harmony Games uneasy. Mai knows people in District 9 who died of minor infections. Maybe Mai hates most things, but she now hates the Capitol the most.

The show comes to an end at last and Zuko helps her down. She wishes he would not do that kind of thing. Mai does not need him to protect her; she does not need _anybody_. His coddling makes her look weak in front of the other tributes.

But Zuko cannot help it. He is concerned about her. She did not exactly make a good impression with her cold and apathetic reaction to the crowd.

He can only hope for the best.

[X]

After an uncomfortable elevator ride, Mai glances around the top floor suite of the Tribute Center. She is awestruck but keeps it to herself; she is not going to let anyone know that she likes a single thing here. This place is sickening, really, and she has to remember that fact.

Kei Lo tries not to look at her as she goes to her room and decides not to come out. Making friends now is an idiotic move, and Mai has never been good at friends anyway. One person comes out of the Arena and one person only.

Sleeping is close to impossible, even though she is so tired. She does not know how people get any rest when they know about their imminent death.

When she does fall asleep, she dreams about dying in the minefields.

[X]

The next morning, she struggles to stay awake when she stands in the Training Center and listens to some dumb speech about the week. Mai is bored. Very bored.

She avoids the target practice, but she does not know what else to do with herself.

Then survival stations catch her eye. Learning to hunt does not sound like a bad idea. Mai intends to go in alone and come out alone; getting food for herself seems like a wise idea.

She goes to learn how to find water.

No one notices her.

Good.

[X]

That night at dinner, Mai focuses her attention on Zuko. He gives her rambling advice that she pretends to listen to. They remain together for the entire evening, at least until he leaves her in front of the television and vanishes from the apartment.

The tributes gaining the most attention from the public are the girls from District 2, Kama and Ayako. Their most looped footage is of them blowing kisses to the massive crowd and flaunting their bikinis. The boy from District 1, Hiro, is ranked as most intimidating. Li Hua, a cute young waterbending girl with a lethal look in her eyes, and her district partner Raiden also seem deadly and do well with the crowds.

Mai knows her dismal odds are very accurate. She does not even bothering turning on the sound. The last thing she needs is to hear what Varrick has to say about the people who most likely will murder her.

Kei Lo sits down beside her uninvited.

"That was the bravest thing I ever saw. Back in 9," he says.

Mai does not move a muscle, nor say a word.

Stammering, he tacks on, "Volunteering for your brother. It was brave. I think it was…"

"Brave. I know. You're not exactly great with the ladies, are you?" Mai stands up and retreats into her room yet again.

She thinks she might miss this bedroom.

[X]

A few days into training, she hangs by her arms from ropes that look uncomfortably like nooses. She looks like an idiot because she cannot let go of the first one to reach the next. Her lifestyle has not leant itself to fantastic upper body strength.

She does manage to let go of the rope behind her, and she promptly falls.

They stare at her. She gets up and decides she does not care what anyone has told her to do, and she walks over to the station with throwing knives.

It does not take her very long to change the way the other tributes look at her.

"Will you show me how?" Li Hua asks as Mai turns around.

"No," she is pleased to reply.

[X]

That evening, in the living quarters, "What are you doing?" Kei Lo asks.

Mai is dangling from one of the doorways, and has been there for three hours now.

"Pull-ups," Mai gasps. She drops down and rubs her sore hands. "Not very well."

"I thought it was good."

"I don't like platitudes," she dryly replies and watches him stiffen.

"They're better than when you fell earlier. That's why you're doing it, right?"

"Yes. In case I need to swing on ropes or climb a tree or something."

"We're going to the Harmony Games, not building a treehouse."

"I don't think you're funny."

Kei Lo turns to Kiri. "She's very serious, isn't she?"

"I'm serious about not dying." Mai turns on her heel and breathes, "I think you'll find most people are."

[X]

When Mai walks into the empty training center, she is the very last tribute to be judged.

Her heart pounds. Her palms are sweaty. Her mouth is dry.

She knows how bad her odds are, and she knows she must remedy them right now. Mai makes a beeline to the target practice and takes two deep breaths. It is time to prove that she is a not a tribute; she is a _victor_.

After carefully choosing them, Mai tosses four darts with one sweep of her hand and successfully hits various body parts of four different targets. She has the gamemakers' attention. She walks over and grabs the bow. It is heavier than the one she has at home, but smoother. She raises it up with five plastic arrows on her back.

She pulls them back one by one in a blur, a party trick she learned long ago, and the arrows crack as each one hits squarely in the middle of the first – which hit the heart of the target dead on – and then she steps back and allows herself to breathe. It would have been more impressive if the arrows were wooden, but she takes what she can get.

Mai turns and bows. "Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed the show."

They clearly did. Who would not?

Her show was impractical but impressive. She would not fight like that in the arena, but what could these stodgy old men and neon plastic women know about target practice?

She receives a seven.

[X]

On interview evening, the lights temporarily blind Mai when she walks onto the sweltering stage. It was much too cold in the back and so she feels like she walked into an inferno.

Immediately after she sits down, Varrick asks, "What could have possessed you to volunteer for the Games?"

"Well, all the cool kids are doing it."

He laughs. The crowd does laugh. Mai does not.

"Really," he says, waving a hand dismissively. "We all saw you volunteer. The first from District 9. Did you know that little boy?"

"He's my brother. And I volunteered because I have a much better chance of surviving than he does."

Fawning sounds from the touched audience. Mai leans back in her chair. She could not hate these people more.

"You seem like one dangerous dame. Very confident!"

Mai miraculously manages to not roll her eyes. "Varrick, you say that to all the girls. Literally."

He laughs wildly; it _is_ the funniest quip he has heard all day.

Then he snaps into a sympathetic pose like someone flipped a switch. "That's a very moving story. Did he come say goodbye?"

"Yes."

"And what did you tell him?"

Mai freezes for a heartbeat. "That I would win," she admits. "And I _will_ win. Don't count me out because I'm a little underfed and don't have the sexiest of complexions. My odds on that board are wrong."

He claps, prompting the audience to do the same.

"When you were introduced, you looked so _grim_. Did the crowd not rile you up good enough?"

Mai thinks she might be hitting her stride. "I didn't notice I looked cheery now. My mistake."

The laughter feels oddly good.

"You don't like straight answers, do ya?" Varrick drawls, loosely gesturing his microphone towards her.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

He laughs. They laugh. Mai does not.

"But this is so fun. I think this is fun. Do you think this is fun?" He holds the microphone to the crowd and they scream. A born performer, Mai supposes. He swivels and the microphone flying into her line of sight nearly gives her vertigo. "Why don't you think this is fun?"

"I never really like games. They never were fun for me, even tag as a kid. I would sit in the corner and read. I personally, however, think this whole charade is hilarious. I look out at the audience and wonder who will root for me and feel disappointed when I die and look at those cameras and wonder what my best angle is."

"You never played model? You sure look like one, babe."

He sounds like her mother. That is when Mai loses it and is done playing the crowd. She can perfectly recall her mother's fake voice discussing _Capitol Couture_ like dad never died and like her children weren't raised for the slaughter.

"Oh," Mai coldly replies, "well, in my savage District we believe cameras steal your soul." People laugh. Mai hates them. "I thought that was a ridiculous and uneducated superstition until I came here. It isn't the cameras, though, it's what I'm about to do tomorrow in front of the cameras that steals your soul."

"So _poetic_ ," Varrick pretends to gush. Mai can see how hard he is blushing even under his copious make-up. "You truly are well-read. So, as a brainy dame, do you think the odds are in your favor?"

"The odds are never in my favor. Or anybody else's backstage, or at home watching right now. The odds are never in our favor, or else we wouldn't be here." Mai looks directly at the camera with the brightest little red light.

Varrick gives a plastic smile in the stunned and uncomfortable silence. He cannot even make it look as natural and cavalier as he usually does.

"And there goes three minutes," he says. "Another round of applause for this very well-spoken dame!"

Only half of the crowd claps.

Mai stands and leaves the stage to be grabbed by the arm tightly. She hisses through her teeth and moves to slap whoever seized her like that, but she stays her hand when she sees the scar on his face.

"Why would you say that stuff?" Zuko hoarsely demands.

Mai pushes him away from her. "I am not your slave, and I am not theirs either. They can't do anything but kill me in the Games, and you've seen my odds."

She walks off with Kiri.

[X]

Mai is sitting in her room, as usual, when someone knocks on the door.

"Go away."

Zuko walks in regardless of her wishes. "Don't stab me; I want to apologize."

"Go away."

"I'm sorry that I've been so overbearing. I just feel like this is my fault."

"It's my fault. I volunteered."

"Your brother's name was in there _once_. There are thousands of kids in our District. What are the odds of your little brother being Reaped the day after you dodged a death penalty?"

"So, you are saying you would rather me be beaten to death in our District than given a chance in the Arena?"

"No-no. I'm saying the reason you were almost beaten to death was because of me taking you out there."

"It could've be any of your little friends you've always taken so boldly over that fence." Mai hopes the cameras pick up this conversation and Zuko gets his tongue sliced out so he cannot keep pretending to care about her.

"I can see I'm not going to make any progress. I'm sorry, and I hope you know that I wish I could fix all of this."

"Go away."

* * *

The arena is a paradise.

Mai instantly does not trust it; nothing this beautiful can be innocent and safe.

She sees the huge landmark that is present in every arena – it's a snowcapped mountain. The Sanctuary Square and eighteen tributes are in the middle of a flower-infested meadow with jungle surrounding the area. The arenas always have the same layout, just with a different theme each year.

This theme is apparently something involving colors Mai did not think could appear in nature. Maybe they cannot; this could be an engineered idyll.

The Sanctuary Square glistens in front of Mai like a mirage in the desert. Food and medicine and weapons. Mai sees the knives that Zuko warned her about as she rolled her eyes and prayed for the Harmony Games to begin. She needs those if she is going to live. Mai has nothing going for her except her skills at throwing blades.

Mai glances at the jungle. Zuko would want her to go there.

But as the Games begin and the Sanctuary Square's force field breaks, Mai makes her decision.

Screw Zuko's advice. Mai runs directly for the knives without paying the fight around her any mind. It smells like blood and singed flesh. She briefly remembers how the wounds on her back reeked, but she shakes it off and slides onto her knees. She scrapes them on the coarse ground, but she grabs the knives and starts running.

Li Hua throws a burst of ice at Mai, but she dodges it and keeps running towards the jungle. None of the careers or other tributes pursue her; she does not interest them and she is glad of it.  
Even if she scored a seven, no one is going to waste their precious time on the pallid waif from District 9.

She keeps running until she is fully concealed in the jungle. It's loud in here, and water does not seem scarce. It might be poisoned, of course; Mai does not trust anything that seems too good to be true.

Three cannons fire as Mai stops walking and leans against one of the thick, damp trees. She stops to wonder who is dead; it was a blur to her as she focused exclusively on her weapons. After a distracted moment, she purges the thoughts and decides she can find out tonight.

She has to live at least until then.

So she marches towards the mountain.

[X]

Mai stops traveling due to both thirst and the sunset. It is not worth the risk of death to keep going and so she sits down, wondering if the water dripping tantalizingly from the large leaves is poisonous. It probably is.

A thought occurs to her while her head is spinning from dehydration. She stabs one of the knives into the tree five or six times until the water begins to drip from it. Here's to hoping.

Mai drinks it.

It does not kill her immediately, at least.

Her eyes drift towards the sky, waiting for several long minutes until the United Republic anthem plays and faces flash in the invisible constraints of the arena.

It's all girls, all fairly pretty ones too. District 5, District 8 and District 7. Mai feels a slight chill when she sees to whom the kills belong. Two are the boy from District 1, Hiro. One is the boy from District 3, Raiden.

Mai is not beating them.

She looks at the knives and sighs.

[X]

In the morning, Mai encounters her first resistance. It comes in the form of creatures that seem close to prairie dog-ferrets but climb trees and have long tails. They chase her, and she does not even have enough time to use her knives. She is about to break free of them when she sees an inferno burst out in front of her.

She weighs the merits of burning alive as compared to being eaten alive and opts for the former. Mai runs into the forest fire and she knows she is not alone in it; she hears other tributes screaming. Perhaps it was directed at them.

The image of the minefields flickers through Mai's mind, but then the smoke starts to get to her. She tears her jacket off and holds it over her face, continuing to run and jump and do anything she can to free herself from the blaze.

The fire just… stops. She turns and looks at it before she begins to cough. It remains burning in a neat and tidy line, which makes Mai want to get as far away as possible. She runs and runs, stumbling consistently and hacking up her lungs, and at last comes to a pond.

It is murky and looks deep, but Mai splashes herself with it before soothing her heated skin. No burns. She moves to soak her jacket before she remembers the knives in it. As she is setting it back down, she hears a small squeak – it's one of the mutts she ran from.

Ready to flee, Mai grabs at her jacket too quickly, and as soon as she tosses one dagger that slays the mutt, every other knife topples into the water. Mai snatches her jacket from the pond and wastes precious time digging around in it looking for any survivors. She reaches down and then pulls her hands out.

She dips her toe in and then changes her mind. The water looks very, very deep and she couldn't see the lost weapons anyway.

Goodbye knives.

Now Mai has nothing to defend herself with except for the single blade she recovers from the muttation corpse. She wrings out her jacket and resumes her march away from the other tributes.

If she had any chance of winning, it is gone now.

* * *

In the Capitol, Zuko tries to find sponsors and fails. Mai probably resonates much more with the districts than the people here, and he knows that on a good year he has a shoestring budget. She is beautiful, but he refuses to play up that angle. He will not be responsible for creating a highest bidder.

No sponsors, nothing. He distinctly has no orders from President Shinohai, separating him from any Capitol people who might be in particularly generous moods. It does not take a genius to figure out that Mai's interview will leave a blockade in every direction.

And so he goes to the best person he can find. President Shinohai's personal assistant, and the Head Gamemaker's wife.

"I want you to help Mai. She has no weapons and I really think she can win this. I've seen what she can do with a bow. If she had one of those..."

"I can't sponsor anyone," says Rei and Zuko nods. He knows that the odds are stacked against Mai and he will not find a single sponsor if he scoured the entire United Republic, and soon it will be too late.

"You could talk to Zhao Shirei or President Shinohai. Have them build something into the arena," says Zuko.

"You're cute, but I'm not that powerful," Rei playfully demurs.

She sits alone with Zuko Agni, and she does love his company. This is a rare occasion.

"You are the most powerful woman I know," Zuko says. He is being pretty honest about that, or else he would not have come to her. "You spend every single day making things happen."

Rei rolls her eyes, but keeps grinning. "I get coffee and watch boring messages. And I'm not allowed to sponsor anybody."

Zuko will not give up that easily. He leans towards her. "I think you can procure the best method of helping her. Acting like you love my tribute half as much as you love me."

Rei giggles. "You're very cute."

"You're married to the Head Gamemaker, and you directly give President Shinohai your thoughts. I don't usually ask for favors."

That wins Rei. "You don't. And I guess I can hint at my support for her. She does have nice hair."

"There you go." Zuko shoots her a handsome, lopsided grin.

* * *

In the arena, Mai has been walking, waiting for something to kill her, waiting for her existence to become too boring, when she hears a creaking noise. She scans her surroundings and sees a half-rotted corpse swaying in the wind. It's obviously not a dead tribute, but she catches a gleam on it.

A shiny bow, designed precisely to be noticeable to anyone below.

Probably designed precisely to be noticeable to her.

She walks closer and sees the noose that holds the corpse in the tree. Mai looks at the one knife in her hand and realizes she probably is not going to do much good throwing it. She will have to climb, which is not her favorite activity.

It does seem, however, that when in a situation like this, old memories of climbing trees as a kid come into play. She never got very far up. She never liked heights. She never liked the stench of corpses either, but she forgets the smell much more easily than the possibility of falling to her death.

She definitely does not regret the endless pull-ups back in the Tribute Center.

Okay, she is _not_ climbing out on that branch. No one would; which is why there is a second rope dangling unused, closer to the tree. She tries to work up the courage to reach out and fails thrice. Then she hears voices and decides she has no choice but to do it. Mai grabs on. She releases the tree, and she grabs at the bow. And misses. Grabs at the bow. And misses. Grabs at the bow and _yes_ ; she frees it. She kicks off of the tree and knocks the arrows from the corpse to the grass below.

Getting back onto the tree is harder than getting off of it, but the voices fade and she slows down. Her stomach still hurts when she reaches the ground again, but she has a weapon better than a sole throwing knife.

She feels her odds rising.

[X]

Mai is deep in the jungle when she hears a sound that she does not like. It could be a tribute; she does not know. She has her bow, but it does not comfort her at the moment. Something makes a sound that simply cannot be human. It is bloodcurdling, and Mai starts to run when she hears the sound become closer and closer.

She runs, runs, runs; four _gigantic_ mutts that look like gargoyles pursue her relentlessly.

They are far bigger and angrier than the last ones she encountered.

Mai swivels around and shoots one of them. It does nothing but stagger the beast and makes her lose a chunk of her lead. So much for that. Mai keeps running, and then she realizes the threes.

By the beach, they were all palm trees. Those were beautiful, but not climbable. Mai cannot believe she shrugged that possibility off. She grabs a hold of the tallest, thickest tree and climbs it.

She really hopes the gargoyles cannot follow.

They claw and claw at the tree. Mai's heart races as she tries figure out what to do. She is going to die being ripped apart by disgusting, humanoid creatures. She only is grateful that their wings seem decorative.

Mai sees one rip a branch from the tree. She will fall. She knows she will fall and get torn to shreds.

But then something changes; she sees a tiny red flashing light. Her eyes widen; they are the same ones that were at the minefields.

She draws her bow and hits the trap that the gamemakers did not bother to detonate.

The ground explodes beneath her and three tree she was perched in topples back and snaps. She hits the ground and screams from the pain in her leg.

After a struggle with pain and an ankle that will not move, she gets on her feet, she sees that the gargoyles are now silent, bloody chunks. She limps over, fighting her urge to wince, and picks up her arrows from the mess.

Once she is back in the thick jungle, she sits beneath a tree and examines her ankle. It is _bad_ , and her leg is bloody from scraping against the bark. If she cannot _run_ , she cannot _survive_.

Mai steels herself and ignores her strong emotions.

[X]

Meanwhile, the gamemakers are very confused.

"Did she just do that?" Zhao asks loudly of anyone listening, replaying the cameras meant to capture her death by his most frightening mutts. "She just…"

She just triggered a trap that he had no intention of using. But it was there, and she somehow found it. More than that, she somehow broke it.

"I don't know," says his assistant.

He shakes his head.

That was a move that could have either dire repercussions or raise ratings.

He does not like it either way.

[X]

That evening, Mai feels oddly confident. Starving. But confident.

She has found a thicket and inserted herself into the plants. Is she a master of camouflage? No. Does this make her feel safer? No. Is it worth a try? Yes.

The sun has set when Mai sees a small silver package falling from the sky. It very gently lands about two feet away from her, and she crawls out to go grab it. A foot stomps on her hand when she reaches out to grab it.

Slowly, Mai looks up.

She knows she is dead.

"Oi, Black Widow," says the only person who would know that embarrassing nickname.

"Don't call me that," Mai replies without breaking eye contact. It seems to make him slightly uneasy that she is not afraid. "You're significantly better at hiding than I am. The mud is an excellent touch."

Kei Lo weighs his options as he examines the easy kill beneath him. He has a sword; she is in no position to reach her bow or knives.

"Split whatever Zuko gave you with me and I won't kill you," he says. Mai squints at him, seeking a lie and coming up short.

"I don't know what it is," Mai replies.

"Well, there's no safe food here. The guy from 7 died from eating some of the fruit."

"I imagine there has to be some safe food here. But, if this is safe food, I will split it with you," Mai says and he hesitantly lifts his foot from her hand. She sits back on her heels and opens the package to find a thermos of soup.

Maybe Zuko can do _something_ right.

[X]

Kei Lo sips soup; Mai sips soup. They pass it between each other.

"I didn't think anybody remembered my old nickname," Mai says.

He laughs. "You _did_ get bitten by your pet Black Widow in front of the entire fourth grade class. That's memorable."

"Anything else memorable about me?" Mai inquires. She feels slightly emotional thinking of her childhood, but she is too curious to pass it up.

"You drank rubbing alcohol on a dare. You got suspended for piercing people's ears in the bathroom at school. And you punched out the baker's kid, Katashi Kiet, for kissing you against your will. He lost a couple teeth from that one."

Mai sighs. "Those aren't very flattering memories."

"Two years ago you just up and vanished for a week," he offers.

"You're not doing much better."

"You used to play that song in the parlors of the school, about that hanged guy," he says and Mai suddenly starts listening. "On that old piano that was always out of tune. And you always stole books from the library. You love prairie fire even though you say you hate flowers. I always saw you picking it and pocketing it. Well, you're kind of a klepto but you were a serial klepto for prairie fire. You talked back one day when our teacher lied about history and she threatened to send you to the coal mines. I thought that was way braver than drinking rubbing alcohol or petting a rattlesnake. You sigh _a lot_. A lot. And you chew kind of weird. You fill out that uniform like _nobody's business_ too."

"You're pushing your luck, Kei Lo." She sighs. "You _do_ know a creepy amount about me. Do you also watch me undress from a tree in my backyard?

He laughs.

She doesn't.

"You're mean."

Mai takes the last sip of the soup. "I'm honest."

"That's exactly what a dirty liar would say."

She shrugs. "You think I'm liar?"

"You come off as pretty shady."

"I may be a bit sullen, but…" Mai sighs at his expression. "I am pretty shady, but you can temporarily trust me."

"I'd take you to the end."

"Now, I think we're going a little too fast. I don't even know if I'm going to shoot you or not yet. What makes you want to be on my side so much?"

"I've been following you since you killed those creatures."

"So?"

"You shot a single arrow and made an earthquake happen. That's the kind of person I'd want on my side."

"Do you see those little red lights? There aren't any here, I guess, but there are a few around the arena. They mark traps and other sadistic inventions. If you break one, it goes off. Like some kind of defense mechanism."

"How do you know that?"

"They used them in the Hundred Year War. As mines that could have big mutts and infernos come out of them."

"The Capitol used them?"

"Who else would?"

"Again, how exactly do you know that?"

"My dad told me a lot about the war," Mai lies. "He was into violence. He taught me how to shoot and hustle people at darts."

"He sounds like an interesting man."

"No, not really. He was Head Peacekeeper and they're never very peaceful people, are they?"

"He died a few years ago, didn't he?"

"It was the year before my first Reaping. Yeah. Got into a drunken brawl and the other guy smashed his face in. They strung him up, of course, but my dad had it coming. I'm only sad I didn't do it myself."

Uncomfortably, Kei Lo changes the subject. "Why bow and arrow?"

"He was into this old story about some army guys called the Yuyan Archers. They could shoot the wings off a spider-fly from twenty feet away, or something like that. I don't think I remembered that quote right but you get the idea."

"Could you do that?"

"Yes. I was better than he was." Pause. "So, your dad I've heard nothing about. Is he still alive?"

"No."

"What happened to him?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"He broke the law and was punished, uh, rightfully."

"You afraid you're going to get killed if you don't side with the people who executed him? I have a criminal record of my own, if you don't recall. You can be honest."

"He led some stupid and pointless protest. It was about drinking water or something."

"Drinking water is pretty important. I've learned that in here."

"Why don't you care at all what you say?"

"What's the worst thing that can happen? I'm already in here. I think that dear President Shinohai would be hard pressed to find something worse to do to me than send gargoyles to eat me or reap my little brother."

"Don't tempt fate."

"I'm not tempting fate. I'm tempting people." Pause. "People who don't think I'm a person."

"That's…" Kei Lo is silent.

Mai has never met a likeminded person, and she doubts she will find one now.

She is glad she didn't get her hopes up.

More faces flash in the sky as she tries to fall asleep. She should feel _better_ that more tributes are dying, but, instead, it makes her feel very unsafe. The target on her back increases in size with every burst of a cannon.

[X]

"Let me come with you," Kei Lo pleads in the morning. "I was serious about taking you to the end."

"I am doing you a favor by not killing you. I'm not taking you with me."

"Allies are helpful, especially at this point. Give me a chance. I think you're brave and I think you deserve someone on your side."

Mai sighs. She cannot believe she is doing this. "Never call me Black Widow again and we have a deal."

"Deal." He smiles at her.

She doesn't smile back.

"You walk in front of me at all times. Understood?"

He nods.

[X]

"What do you think people are saying about you right now? At home," Kei Lo inquires.

Mai is not in the mood for conversation, particularly when she could be overheard, but Kei Lo seems even easier to play than Kei Lo. It might be worth it.

"My mother is saying," Mai says before switching to the best impression of her mother as she can, "Oh, she always was the best child."

Kei Lo laughs. "Which would be a lie?"

"Oh yes. And all those jerks at school are pretending to be my friend, and the teachers who threatened to send me to the coal mines are talking about how they touched my life, and every boy who thinks he's special is saying he used to fuck me and my brother is awkwardly trying to be honest. He's a little liar, that kid. Compulsive, I swear."

"That is the first time I've ever seen you smile."

"Don't get used to it."

A rustling in the jungle cuts their conversation short. Mai quickly draws her bow and Kei Lo raises his sword. She takes a few steps back and tries to figure out where the sound is coming from.

It happens blindingly fast – Raiden and the boy from 6 leap out in a skilled ambush. Raiden Mai recognizes due to his kills and the other boy does not look any less skilled. Raiden grabs her and smashes her against a tree before she can shoot. The arrow falls as the collision knocks the winds out of her.

Kei Lo almost slices through the boy from 6, but Raiden drops Mai and intervenes, kicking him to the ground and holding his own sword to his throat.

Her district partner struggling to evade being stabbed to death gives Mai the perfect opportunity. She forces herself up despite feeling like she is suffocating, grabs her fallen arrow and… sees a flickering light in the trees. She could not feel luckier.

She fires the arrow and after the faint shattering sound, the branches on the trees begin to slither. One grabs the boy from 6 by the leg and Kei Lo breaks free to run after Mai.

Mai focuses on escaping the trap she set off.

She hears a scream and the disgusting ripping sound of limbs being torn from bodies. Two cannons fire. Mai slows to a stop and Kei Lo follows her lead.

"You just killed a career," Kei Lo gasps out.

"I know," Mai casually replies, as if she is not as shocked as he is.

[X]

"So, what fruit killed the boy from 7?" Mai inquires as she and Kei Lo find a place to rest.

"Uh," Kei Lo begins, scratching his head. Then his eyes widen. "Those ones over there, actually."

Mai looks up at the orange bulbs hanging from the trees. They do look tempting, especially when she is this hungry. She whips off her jacket to cover her hands and starts picking the fruit. Kei Lo watches, agape; he does not know why she would ever want to do that.

Mai does not bother to explain herself as she sets the fruit down at their campsite and lays out her arrows and knife. She runs the knife through the fruit first, and sets it down to dry.

"You… you're making venomous arrows?"

"Poisonous," Mai corrects and Kei Lo cocks an eyebrow. "Poison is ingested and venom is injected."

"Stabbing is the same as a bite."

"Yeah, but the poison on it…" Mai trails off. "Never mind that."

"I should let you win on that one. You did get poisoned once and bitten by two separate venomous animals," Kei Lo comments with a small laugh.

Mai would glare if she cared enough. Instead, she just keeps poisoning her weapons while Kei Lo sorts out the pretty silver package that falls from the sky. There is food in it, and Mai thinks that her two kills probably prompted it.

The odds are slowly shifting into her favor.

"I tried to tell you how brave you volunteering for your brother was," Kei Lo says. "I didn't articulate it very well. I have a little sister. She's seven. I would volunteer for her in a heartbeat."

"I understand." Mai nods. She never was good at heart to hearts.

"If you win, please promise me that you'll take care of her," he says, so earnestly that Mai cannot refuse.

"Yes. Of course I will." She means it.

[X]

"What do you want most right now?" asks Kei Lo as he and Mai sit together beneath the fake night sky. They are eating dinner and trying to keep out of sight.

She has just noticed the small flashing light in the trees. It makes her feel on edge, because she keeps thinking about how easy it would be to betray her ally tonight.

"Not to die," Mai says and he laughs mirthlessly. "If I do die, which I probably will once the careers find me, I do want something. I don't want to be a piece in their games. I just don't. I don't want to die in a way that…"

"That plays by the rules. I think you've bent them a few times so far."

"Yeah. I've realized something while setting off these traps."

"Uh-huh?"

"It is surprisingly easy to beat the Capitol at their own game. But nobody tries. Why? They feel confident enough to shine bright red lights where their traps are and they are completely reliant on the Districts to sustain their parties. I was thinking about the Laogai Dam."

"That's…?"

"You know as well as I do that it supplies all power to the Capitol, save for the coal poor unfortunate souls who do poorly on their school tests mine. I wonder if anyone thought about shooting an arrow into its flashing red lights."

"That sounds like a bad idea." Kei Lo closes his eyes. He does not like the image of the Laogai Dam exploding and flooding his home just to spite the Capitol.

"Why are you so afraid?" Mai demands. "I've never been afraid of anybody or anything and I'm not going to start now. I got in a lot of trouble in my life because of that, because I don't really care what happens to me. If somebody kills me I just want to get a couple good punches in before they do. That's how I've been approaching the Games."

"I'm going to sleep," he says and Mai nods at him.

She stares at that flashing red light for two solid hours before she averts her gaze. He is not useful to her anymore. She cannot believe she is doing this, but she is. Rising slowly, she collects her knife from Kei Lo's pack and walks away from his sleeping body. As she begins to walk into the jungle, she turns to trigger the trap.

But she finds that she cannot. No, now is not the time for weakness. This is her perfect opportunity to…

Mai hears a camera. She makes her choice… and walks back to her little campsite, gently resting the knife back where it belongs.

She won't be a piece in their game.

* * *

President Ozai Shinohai does not like what his assistant tells him this morning.

"There was an attempt to blow up the Laogai Dam. It, obviously, was unsuccessful," nervously says Rei. She plays with the chiffon on her short dress as she avoids eye contact. "The perpetrators mentioned their tribute's, uhm, speech about blowing it up."

Rei chews on her fake nails, clearly concerned. Ozai studies his desk, uncertain on exactly how he should react to that.

"They were taken care of?"

"Of course, sir."

Silence.

"Let me tell you something about myself. I know a thing or two about figureheads and icons. I did not build the walls, I did not assign the Districts, I did not create the Harmony Games. However, it seems as though in the eyes of every rebel we _gut_ I am the sole enemy. They say I win the Games. I beg to differ. The thing about me being such an easy icon of a legacy and entire system is that they need another side of the coin."

"I'm afraid I don't…"

"They need a _good_ icon to put opposite their _evil_ icon. I will do everything in my power to make sure that they never find one. So long as they don't have a hero, I am an ineffective villain. She might just be what they are looking for."

"That's unfortunate."

"Bring me Zuko."

[X]

"I have a problem, Mr. Agni," growls President Ozai Shinohai as Zuko sits down across from him. The victor has glitter on his neck. "A problem that I believe can hurt you."

Zuko knows well that Ozai would love to hurt him. The simmering animosity is discomfiting to say the least, and so Zuko stays in the public eye at all times, he never makes a stir. His anger got him into trouble in the past, got him in hot water for alleged disrespect. Now he tries to keep it under control.

"Please be more specific, sir," Zuko says.

"Your tribute is in that arena making a mockery of the Capitol. She uses our traps, she can't keep her mouth shut about her treasonous opinions, and, most of all, too many people inexplicably like this belligerent, sullen little girl."

"Yes," is all Zuko can say.

"She is the most defiant person I have ever encountered." He has a fire in his eyes that disturbs Zuko; this man may seem cultured and clean but he has the potential to rip someone's spine out for fun behind those golden eyes.

"She's not breaking any—"

"Your district has been very inspired by her defiance. As have the others. You see, if a belligerent, sullen little girl from District 9 can defy the Capitol, what is to stop them from doing the same? What is to prevent, say, blowing up Laogai Dam? What is to prevent a violent uprising?"

"She doesn't know she's being defiant to the Capitol. She's just trying to survive, and she has a bad attitude that doesn't have anything to do with treason; it's just a girl who's been scorned being bitter. President Shinohai, I swear to you that Mai is just trying to survive."

"Good. Then she'll understand my problem with her; I am also just trying to survive. I am trying to make this era of balance and harmony survive. She threatens to destroy it."

"Then kill her. The Games don't hesitate to kill people who break the rules."

"No. I have a much better plan than that. The spark she started won't be contained unless she smothers the fire herself. I need her to win."

"What?" Zuko bluntly asks. He was definitely not expecting _that_.

"I need her to win, and once I have my hands on her, she will prove to those rebels who she really is. She won't be defiant much longer."

"She's not going to beat those careers very easily."

"There is a trap in the arena this year. An avalanche. She will set it off and kill any remaining tributes."

"You expect me to tell her to do that?"

"Of course I do. You really aren't the smartest boy who ever lived, are you?"

Zuko clenches his jaw and holds back the acidic anger surging in him.

"I guess not, sir," he forces himself to say.

He respectfully bows and gets to work.

* * *

Mai wakes up to a small silver package falling beside her shoulder. It contains bottles of water, and wrapped around one of the two is a small note. Mai opens it.

 _avalanche: the mountain is a trap_

She does not understand the nonsensical note at first, until she realizes what Zuko is suggesting. He wants her to set off an _avalanche_ atop that mountain. It seems like an impossible feat, even with all Mai has done so far.

It is while she is debating in her head that she sees something move. Her first instinct is to stab and slash, but she quickly realizes that it is not a tribute or mutt.

"The arena is getting smaller," she whispers. Louder, she says, "Kei Lo, the arena is getting smaller. Get up and start moving."

They both are on their feet and moving within a few fast minutes.

"It was only a matter of time before we couldn't keep staying on the fringes," he remarks as they walk faster towards the mountain.

The mountain. The mountain.

"Promise me something," Mai says. "Promise me that you'll get us to that mountain at any cost."

"Why?"

"The water I gave you, Zuko said we had to get there in a note," Mai says, hoping Kei Lo will not ask to see it. He still is her competition, and the less he knows about this avalanche scheme the better.

"Alright," he agrees.

"That was easy," Mai comments.

Her eyes flash and she shoves him down onto the ground. He looks up at her, wide-eyed. She nods at the living girl from District 5. The other was killed in the opening bloodbath, and this one is an easy kill.

Mai slowly draws her bow from the shadows, and the girl does not even have time to react before Mai strikes.

The girl shrieks and stumbles, her hands rushing to the arrow in her chest. Mai knew she wouldn't hit the heart in such an awkward position, so she is glad the poison will do its work soon enough.

Mai follows the girl from 5, Kei Lo no longer walking in front of her; he is much too confused about why they are tracking a tribute who will be dead in minutes.

"Midori?" calls out a voice.

Li Hua. Mai wasn't ready for this. The girls from 2, Ayako and Kama, and the boy from 1, Hiro, are all with her. The whole career pack. Mai feels like she has just tracked a wounded badger-rabbit into a wolfs' den.

"I got hit," Midori stammers.

"It's not fatal," Hiro says.

Mai's lips twitch, but she focuses her energy on quietly climbing a tree. Thank you, pull-ups.

"I feel woozy, though." Midori stumbles and Li Hua leaps up to catch her. They sit so close together, like little lovebirds.

"You'll be fine," Li Hua softly says.

Midori's eyes lull.

Mai knows she will not be fine.

[X]

The sound of a cannon firing snaps Mai to attention. She was getting bored of watching the careers have a tea party and nearly dozed off. Midori now lies dead from the poison that Mai found to be _much_ too slow. Shouldn't injecting it into her bloodstream kill her _faster_ than by eating the fruit?

"Who shot her?" Ayako asks of Kama.

"Only one person could have," Kama replies, standing up and grabbing a pouch of water. "The girl from 9. She's trouble and we should take care of her."

Li Hua… _sobs_. Mai assumes it has something to do with her choice to spare Mai back at the Sanctuary Square.

"I'll come with you," Ayako says, springing to her feet. "She can't have gotten far."

The girls from 2 exchange a glance and set off into the jungle. Mai quietly sighs; they are thankfully going in the opposite direction.

Hiro glances around. He looks uneasy and Mai starts to get down from the tree. She steps too hard and makes a sound; he swivels and sees her.

Mai pulls out her knife, but Hiro frantically turns around.

Because Kei Lo has come at him with a sword.

Idiot.

Mai runs forward and retrieves her arrow from a boulder. She nearly escapes, but Li Hua tackles her and takes the knife from Mai's hands.

Li Hua puts the blade to Mai's throat and holds it there. Mai can tell already that she is afraid to act; she wonders why – Li Hua is a career and Mai wonders how one of those could hesitate.

"I'm g-going to kill you," Li Hua stammers out.

Mai does not move. "Go ahead. I don't have a problem with dying. These Games are pretty tiring. Life in general is pretty tiring. Not just boring but exhausting and jading. I killed your girlfriend; kill me. It's only fair."

"Yeah, it is fair."

"Fair like the Harmony Games? Oh, because they're so damned fair. The odds are never in our favor, but I guess you got lucky today and get to kill some girl you don't have any fight with other than the one the Games gave you."

"Stop talking." Li Hua's fingers slip on the knife and her hand twitches to grab it. But she remains frozen.

Hiro roars; Kei Lo growls.

Mai speaks. "Please, do it already. This is like watching paint dry. The people demand bloodshed and watching children die brutal deaths. They'll get so bored at home that they might slit their _own_ throats. We're nothing but entertainment to them, and I would hate for anyone to be less than interested in my death."

Li Hua hesitates. She was waiting for that.

Mai grabs the knife from her and pins the career to the ground. It is then that she realizes how different it is to truly kill, instead of just trigger traps. The act makes her feel _something_ , but she cannot quite identify what.

"B-but I thought you... You wouldn't kill me. Don't play their game!" Li Hua pleads.

"I have to be honest with you. I thought this moment might move something inside of me, but I've realized I don't really care." She squeezes her eyes shut when she slits Li Hua's throat.

The hot blood on her hand informs her that it is over with. She opens her eyes and sees the glint of a camera. Mai picks up the still bloodied knife and throws it. The camera shatters.

Almost amused, Mai rises and starts running. She grabs Kei Lo by the arm and heads away from where Ayako and Kama went.

"My leg is very hurt," Kei Lo yelps.

"Stop talking. Talking gets us killed." Mai keeps pulling on him; he stops protesting.

[X]

Mai is helping Kei Lo sit down when the anthem plays. They both hold their breath as they look into the sky. Kills attributed to Mai feel odd to see.

When it ends, Kei Lo stares directly into her eyes.

"Who's left?" he whispers.

"The girls from 2 and Hiro. I can't beat them," Mai admits.

"I think you can."

"I think you just want to fuck me." Mai pokes at his leg and he hisses.

"I think you haven't told me why Zuko wants you to get to that mountain so bad."

"I think you are in no position to make that demand."

"I think you don't even know, do you?"

Mai licks her lips. "There's a trap there. An avalanche."

"Thank you. Was that honesty so hard?"

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, it was, because I don't trust you."

"If you set off that avalanche, do you think you'll win?"

"I don't know, but I have three arrows and three careers who want me dead, so I'm going to try for it. And I'm tired. I'm so tired."

Kei Lo swallows. Mai starts trying to figure out a splint.

"Oi, Black Widow," he interrupts. "I want you to win."

"Why? You don't owe me anything."

"No, I don't. But you deserve to win. You're smarter and braver and tougher than any of the other tributes this year. You beat them at their own game, and… I think the world needs more people who aren't afraid to say crazy stuff that can get them killed."

"I do have a mouth on me, but that's not a good enough reason."

"You have a mouth on you that can change things, if you're slightly more polite."

"I refuse to be polite about anything, especially if I win."

"You better win."

"You do realize you'd have to die for that to happen," Mai bitterly remarks, ending any hope of a cute conversation.

He does not say a word.

Mai does not ask him to.

[X]

The air becomes colder the closer to the mountain Mai and Kei Lo get. He lacks a weapon now that Hiro broke his sword, but Mai likes that; it means he is even less of a threat to her. They do not say a word as they approach the mountain.

Unfortunately, they do not make it to their destination before water and fire unite in a singular attack. Kei Lo falls while Mai dodges and draws her bow. She fires an arrow blind and regrets it.

As the steam clears, Mai does not look for tributes. Kei Lo starts crawling away, of all things. Mai sees Ayako, Kama and Hiro all descending upon her and quickly resumes her search for a red light.

The odds are definitely in her favor today; she locates one.

Mai draws her bow and feints aiming at Ayako before breaking the mine and starting to run. Fire erupts from the trees and begins to consume everything. The trap was not all Mai had hoped for, but she pulls Kei Lo onto his feet and starts running.

They keep running and Mai shoots another red light. That one triggers the arrival of five wolf-bats. Mai shoots one and realizes she has only one arrow left. She picks up her knife and begins to pray before blades of ice strike the remaining wolf-bats dead.

Kama.

Mai resumes her race towards the mountain. The sky darkens and flashes.

The finale is here and Mai does not think she can make it. She feels snow on her face and arms, but it is not good enough. They will keep chasing her.

Kei Lo takes Mai's knife from her hand and she slides to a stop.

"I promised I would get you to that mountain. I'm a man of my word. Go. Now." He turns towards the career pack.

Mai hesitates for a flicker of a second and then bolts away without a goodbye. She knows what he is doing and she does not like it, but the minute he gets finished off, she is the last non-career left in this nightmare. The cold gets even fiercer and Mai's heart pounds even harder.

She can see the sky darkening as she sees the foot of the snowcapped mountain. Avalanche. There's a trap somewhere and Mai does not see it. A metal structure catches her eye. There's a ladder and a crow's nest at the top.

Mai starts to climb, muttering to herself, "Thank you, pull-ups."

 _Bang_. She almost falls when she hears the cannon go off. Mai almost stops; her throat is raw from breathing heavily in the cold. But that cannon was definitely a stupid boy who risked himself for her. Stupid like Zuko or, well, herself. Mai needs to do this; she needs to win for dead souls and the living ones and her little brother.

She forces herself to keep going. When she reaches the top and has to squeeze her eyes shut due to the bitter wind. When she manages to open them, she sees the red flashing light. This is it.

Mai taps her final arrow. Save the best shot for last.

She can hardly breathe as she removes her jacket, sets down her bow, and presses her back against the metal pole. Mai tightens the sleeves around her waist and hopes they hold. She then picks up the bow. She lowers it; her hands are shaking too much.

She pulls it back up and releases it before she can talk herself out of this move.

It is too late to turn back now, because the arena thunders and the avalanche begins.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

Silence.

Mai slides down the pole and slumps against it with her eyes gently closed as her name is called out and too much music plays.

And her soft sigh marks the moment a tribute becomes a victor.


	10. Book 2: Dread

**Chapter Three  
Dread**

 _Pleading eyes that break my heart,_  
 _so homesick I can't feel._  
 _But I know I must play my part,_  
 _and tears I must conceal.  
"Just a Game" - Birdy  
_

* * *

 ** _The 70th Harmony Games, Opening Interviews_**

 _Azula smirks at Varrick and gives the crowd a charming glance. Hama wants to clap, and she is not sure if it would be sarcastic or not. Jeong Jeong got himself a good tribute this year; Azula clearly volunteered for a reason._

 _President Shinohai does not like her; she concerns him. She is too aware, too eager to exploit everyone around her, too obvious of a victor. He does not anticipate defiance, but he does feel overwhelming apprehension._

 _She concerns him because he knows she is his daughter, and he wonders if she knows he is her father. Regardless of her knowledge, he knows she is too much like him and that will complicate everything._

 _He watches how she shines like a fiery beacon, stealing the attention of everyone with a pulse._

 _"I'm actually wearing it right now," Azula remarks of the fire she wore during the commencement of the Harmony Games._

 _The crowd's thousand eyes glisten._

 _Azula stands and spins, and spins, and spins. Her dress burns bright blue that captivates those watching. She slows down, feeling dizzy and Varrick flashes a grin before drawing attention to himself._

 _She is the Girl on Fire._

 _She knows that there is power in the audience's fixation._

 _She has every intention to burn the world to pieces when she goes into those Games._

* * *

Korra gazes out of the train window.

A huge concrete structure on the verge of District 9 catches her eye. It looms above the prairie like an artificial mountain. It would be a mountain that watches and waits in a way that makes Korra uncomfortable. And it is difficult to make her uncomfortable.

The Laogai Dam is a spectacle to behold. It looks nothing like the pictures in the textbooks that she doodled over while struggling to focus in class. She recalls only one fact: it provides all power to the Capitol.

The monument manages to erase the image burned into her retinas, at least for a few moments.

The death of an average, ordinary firebender who did something briefly extraordinary.

He died because of her.

Korra has been racking up a kill count of which she is not proud.

"You okay? I brought you tea," Asami says. Korra jumps when she hears the voice behind her, but she calms down and accepts the hot cup. "It was bad. District 7 was bad."

"It wasn't _bad_. It was something so bad that I don't even know the word for it. I bet there _isn't_ a word for it. And all my friends and everyone and I can't believe that I killed them and him and—"

Asami panics and kisses Korra on the lips. She feels too aware of the cameras… and too guilty about the part she played in that massacre. They break apart and both breathe sighs of relief.

It helped, somehow.

Maybe because it reminds them that they are not alone.

"I've realized that we're getting married and I don't know much about you outside of your wedding theme preferences, which, uh, were kind of overruled."

"Yeah. It was gonna be blue and red, but it was worth a shot."

"I think suggesting purple was smart. Mixing blue and red does make purple." Asami laughs and shakes her head. "But, really, let's try. Let's try to know more about each other than what we've been forced to learn by the Games."

"Okay, okay, uh." Korra scratches her head. "I don't really know how to do this."

"I don't either."

They _genuinely_ smile for the first time in a few days.

[X]

Azula tosses her mother's phoenix pin like a coin, catching it each time it succumbs to gravity. It manages to take her mind off of _everything_. Like the nightmare she just woke from. She was chasing Asami somewhere, but she never found it. Bright red birds with talons and razor sharp beaks rip her to shreds first. Never has Azula wanted to avoid thinking with such passion.

"I hate District 9," Azula remarks. She does not need to turn around because she can hear the high heels clicking and clacking behind her. "I haven't been here since my own Victory Tour and I never wanted to come back."

"That was so open and honest!" Ty Lee announces and Azula sighs.

"Are you implying that I am not _always_ open and honest?" Azula mocks, faintly smirking.

Ty Lee swallows, unsure what to say. "Everybody is so quiet."

"That is unsurprising, given what just happened in 7. And what just happened in 2, for that matter. This is only the beginning. I hope you know that."

"I do." She sounds… _somber_. Azula turns to face her, her interest piqued. "What?" Ty Lee asks and Azula keeps staring, waiting for more. "I, um, I'm from, well, not really _from_ , I was a baby, and—"

"You're from District 8. Kya told me," Azula interrupts.

"Yeah." Ty Lee blushes. "But I always was such a Capitol girl. My parents always said it."

"Funny. So did mine," says Azula.

Ty Lee frowns but quickly bounces back to a smile. "You are _depressing_ lately."

"I have good reason to be."

"No. You don't. Being optimistic is _amazing_ because…" Ty Lee knows Azula is not listening anymore. She has returned to tossing and catching that pin. "Why did you hate her?"

Azula has never answered that question. To be honest, very few people have ever been brave enough to ask her, and none of them were important enough to her to receive answers. These past six months have been made tolerable only by Ty Lee, as nauseating as she can be."

"She knew who my father was. I was apparently so much like him that." Azula hesitates. She does not know if she has the words to describe what it felt like as a little girl. "My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right, of course, but it still hurt."

"I don't think she was right."

"Then you don't know me as well as you think you do."

"Do you think she would have thought that way if she didn't know who your father was?"

"I never thought about that," Azula lies. She knows that her mother would have accepted her if it were not for Ozai. They likely would not have gotten along, but they would have loved each other. Azula does not wish for that anymore; she has her father now and he is all she will ever need.

"Oh." Ty Lee does not believe her, but she does not voice her doubt.

Ty Lee quickly changes the subject.

[X]

"There are only two victors here," Azula says as the train enters the heart of District 9. "Zuko Agni and the girl who won the year before me, Kanona Emodi."

"Why exactly does that matter?" Korra asks, squinting. "There've been progressively less and less as we move along. 8 only has four."

The train darkens as they enter a long tunnel.

Azula shrugs. "It's a fun fact, just like how our district won both Quarter Quells."

"We did?" Asami inquires, her eyes flashing.

Korra does not look very surprised. Azula imagines that Hama must have told her about it; the two are very close.

"Yes. We did. Let's hope we win a third," Azula purrs before returning her gaze to the window.

Asami swallows a few sharp remarks that come to mind. She still feels bitter about her sister's secret, but she wants to remain polite. Manners are important.

"Is Mai's family here?" Asami asks and Azula nearly slaps her across the face.

"You ask far too many questions. You should learn to keep them to yourself if you want to keep your tongue."

"You don't have to be so _rude_ about it," Asami huffily replies, standing up and pretending to be very interested in a mirror.

Korra tries to remain inconspicuous. She stares out of the window passionately, and she suddenly sees something that makes her feel like she just got struck by lightning.

It's a phoenix in the styling of Asami's pin. The words are disturbing.

' _THE AVATAR IS REBORN'_ is spray painted in bright blue letters.

She cannot shake it off, because another one is painted a few feet away from it: _THE CYCLE IS BROKEN_.

"Did you all see that?" Korra whispers, her sapphire eyes wide.

"See what?" Hama asks, turning to the window. It is too late to see it.

Korra feels queasy.

[X]

Despite the graffiti and Azula and Asami's resentment, District 9 goes smoothly. Zuko dances with Asami, and it feels fun. Hama and Azula converse softly in a very suspicious fashion, but Asami focuses on the party.

The remaining districts are equally easy.

They learned their lesson about emotions and opinions.

[X]

Azula does not feel as relieved to be home as she thought she would.

They arrive in the early afternoon on a sunny day. It gives them ample time to prepare for the grandiose and glamorous party tonight and the wedding tomorrow. Perhaps after those exhausting events Azula will be able to calm down.

The housekeeper greets them and guides them through the cold mansion to the guest wing. Bedrooms line the hallway, and the doors that are open offer glimpses of beautiful furniture and artwork.

"Separate rooms for the brides-to-be," says the housekeeper and Korra and Asami exchange a glance. They were not expecting that, but they do not mind it either. "You and your mentors are able to choose any room you like, however, I imagine you will go to your own bedroom, Miss Shinohai. Your prep teams are welcome to stay here, of course. As well as your escort."

Azula does not know what is customary. The prep team and Ty Lee seem to find it incredibly rude to decline Ozai's offer and go to their assigned lodgings.

"You can stay with me," Azula says. Ty Lee was expecting that.

"I know it," Ty Lee chimes, briefly taking Azula by the hand. The victor, as always, slips her fingers away.

As Azula and Ty Lee leave the guest wing and enter the hidden heart of the Presidential Palace, Korra tries to get settled in her room.

An outfit is already laid out for her. Pajamas as well – or at least she assumes the soft, plain dress to be. She gazes at it and gently touches the beautiful blue fabric. It probably will have additions, sparkles, things Wu adds on. But the dress alone is gorgeous.

Hey, Korra is not a fan of make-up or any of that, but it doesn't mean she can deny how pretty those clothes are. She _does_ like to have perfect, non-destroyed nails once in a while.

When she turns, she sees more clothes, and a hairbrush, and a variety of different concoctions that she definitely would not have packed. She sees a piece of stationary resting on that far-more-ordinary blue get-up.

 _You are invited to lunch in the Presidential Palace fourth dining room at precisely three o'clock today. Do not be late._

Korra looks around for a clock. She has an hour and a half, so she shuts her door and lies down on the soft bed.

This is too much.

[X]

Ten minutes early, Asami Sato finishes preparing herself for lunch and follows a serving girl through the complicated hallways, and at last to one of the several dining rooms. She knows there is usually a breakfast room in the Capitol, but she has never heard of having nine dining rooms in one place.

She sees that there are four more guests than just the District 2 team and President Shinohai. Bolin and Opal are cute, and Katara upholds warm conversation with them. Varrick Shio is currently telling a very animated story to a girl Asami recognizes as his secretary. The woman is drawn in deeply to the point of being hilarious. They look like they might kiss.

Asami cocks an eyebrow and examines the place cards until she finds her own seat. It is between Korra and Azula, neither of which are here yet.

As Asami awkwardly sits in silence, Azula arrives alone. She pulls out her chair very slowly and sits beside her half-sister.

"What is this going to be like?" Asami asks, trying to look Azula in the eyes. She refuses to meet Asami's gaze. "I'm a little…"

"It's going to be very calm and peaceful, and you will not say anything you will regret," Azula coldly whispers.

Asami has no idea why they have to fight like this, but she does not want to surrender either.

[X]

Azula feels uneasy after lunch. She has a few moments before she is being dressed and dolled up and she spends them worrying. Even while she goes through the familiar motions, she cannot stop thinking about how nothing is ever going to be the same again.

This is irreversible.

The Avatar is alive and well, and no one will be safe anymore. Even if she dies, the next will resurface, and on and on. The cycle is not broken; the cycle has begun again.

Azula stares through the mirror, not into it, as she wonders how she can put a stop to this destruction.

When her stylists are gone, she remains. She does not move from the vanity seat until the door opens. She sees Mai's reflection behind her.

"That was a terrible lunch," she says, shutting the door behind her. Azula does not even bother pointing out the severe invasion of privacy. "You were a little less articulate than usual. Worried about something?"

"Who isn't?" Azula replies.

Mai does not like how she sounds. The confident and cruel girl she has known for five years is slowly disappearing and this hollow person taking her place.

"I don't ever worry. No point in it," Mai dryly lies. "Can you not hear the party outside?"

Azula did not.

"Should I be there?" Azula asks.

"Probably. It's your party."

Azula stands up and straightens her back.

She can do this.

She can do anything.

Including defeating the Avatar.

[X]

Behind grand doors, Ty Lee pokes at and adjusts Korra's dress as they wait for their party entrance. Hama, Azula and Asami are fine with the uncomfortable silence, but it _kills_ the escort.

"You look _amazing_. I look amazing. You both look amazing too. _Everybody_ looks amazing," she says, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Just remember that anything you do is dramastic so be on your best behavior ever."

Ty Lee abandons Korra instantly to go examine her own outfit.

Korra turns to Asami and whispers out of the corner of her mouth, "What does dramastic mean?"

"I don't think it's a word," Asami softly replies.

The United Republic anthem plays and the party silences. It is uncannily fast, but the five women of District 2 have more on their minds than noise levels.

They enter to applause, flashing lights, an introduction from Varrick Shio. Korra grabs Asami's hand and Asami feels her stomach twist. She hates what she is doing, but she knows the consequences if she does not do it.

Asami kisses Korra on the lips and the only fireworks are the fake ones over the ballroom.

It is confusing. So confusing.

When they adjust to the many lights, sounds and smells, it becomes apparent that this party is unparalleled. The ballroom is part garden, and the four elements highlighted throughout the room. Firebenders performing, fireplaces crackling on the edges of the room. Ice sculptures and ponds with colorful koi fish inside. Sparkles that soar on the air and multicolored mist on the huge dance floor. Seats made of stone but adorned with cushions, columns glistening and statues of beautiful women and exotic beasts.

The sea of people is more incredible than the party itself. They all must be important, and they all look the part. The women all are beautiful and the men are all dignified and everyone stands straight save for when they dance and fluidly spin beneath the lights.

"I'm gonna check out the food." Korra extends a hand to Asami.

She takes it and allows the Avatar to guide her through the packed ballroom.

[X]

As Hama drinks with her old friends and Korra and Asami awkwardly greet people while tasting this and that, on the dance floor Azula spins in a small contained circle with Ty Lee. It is not awful. Sweaty, hot, surrounded by obnoxious people and the scent of a thousand strong perfumes and colognes, but not awful.

"I love this," Ty Lee whispers in Azula's ear.

"Of course," Azula replies.

Ty Lee becomes much closer to her. "I'm horrified."

"Why? Am I that bad of a dancer?" Azula purrs.

"That's not funny. Azula, lunch scared me and this is scaring me and I'm scared," Ty Lee whispers, now pressed against the victor to avoid being overheard.

"I have it under control. We will make it through this and live happily ever after, or whatever it is you want," Azula says, and she is not sure if she is lying or not. It is too complicated.

"Can I trust you?" Ty Lee breathes.

They rotate thrice before Azula can answer properly.

"Yes," she whispers.

[X]

Azula finds herself without her pink-clad human shield and wonders what to do with herself. She has never felt so lost before in her life, and she wonders how she reached this point.

Of all people, Hama approaches her.

"Let's go talk. Alone," Hama says, beckoning for Azula to follow her outside.

They walk to where the noise is loud but no one can see them. It is cold and the full moon makes Azula uneasy. She does not particularly like this woman, and she doubts she ever will. Most of it is a certain brand of cowardice after her Games, but Azula will never admit that.

"I know you're Head Gamemaker this year," Hama says and Azula nods. "I need you to help me. I have a number of friends. They are all victors, and they are all rebels. You seem like the Capitol's darling through and through, but I know that you are the right person for this. You're the only person for this, so I hope you don't disappoint."

"I will try not to," Azula coldly replies.

"Good. We're working for a way to train Korra, to use her to rally the districts. You are as deep on the inside as you can get. If you keep us informed, you give us a chance. If you aid us using your power over the Harmony Games, you give us a chance. Do you know what the Quell will be this year?"

"That is up to fate and luck."

"Don't lie, girl."

"I don't know. My father has yet to tell me. That is the truth," Azula says honestly.

"The past two Quells came close to starting full-fledged rebellions. I think this one can do it, because we have the Avatar, we have people riled up already and we have a way to fight the Capitol. The Avatar is born to end oppression and restore real balance. If you can make this Quell twice as powerful as the last two, we can do it."

Azula thinks she might vomit all over the fire-lilies. This could not be worse.

"You're asking me to use the games to spark rebellion?" she demands.

"Yes," Hama calmly replies. "The Quarter Quell is the best opportunity. I know. I mentored for both of them and I watched how they threatened the Capitol."

"So the heart of the rebellion is the people gifted the most by the Capitol?" Azula scoffs and pretends to be who she was for five long years. But Hama sees through it, because Azula is not that person anymore and no one who knows her is falling for it.

"You don't believe that. You think you believe that, but you don't, or else I wouldn't have come to you."

"Desperation made you come to me. The fact that I am Head Gamemaker made you come to me. Don't try."

"You aren't what you think you are. The victors are not royals; they are slaves."

Azula does know that, but she wants to feign ignorance.

[X]

Korra is on her way to the bathroom when she hears familiar voices snarling and snapping.

"I don't care what you did for me, because I didn't tell you to do it," Mai slurs very loudly.

Korra pins herself to a wall and tries not to make a sound. She _should_ probably announce herself or turn around to give them privacy, but… _everybody_ likes eavesdropping. Or so Korra hopes. Maybe she can intervene if things go wrong. Yeah, she's just being a good Avatar.

"I'm not saying that you told me to do it. When people do nice things for you, you're still grateful even if you don't ask."

"There is such a difference between _thanking you_ – which I did – and owing you anything. I don't even have to acknowledge your existence if I don't want to, because I didn't ask for your help. I didn't tell you to feel all guilty and blame yourself. I don't need to be rescued by anybody either because I can take care of myself."

Korra has to admit she is pretty articulate for a drunk.

"I never said you owed me anything."

"You just did five seconds ago. You told me I at least owed you a hello, that is exactly what you said. I'm nah even paraphrashing."

Maybe not so articulate.

"I did, and that was hasty of me. I—"

"No, you never stop saying stuff like that. I never stop enabling you either or whatever. I should probably just be awful to you so that you'll leave me alone. Instead I give you target practice and explain myself to you like right now."

"You're unnecessarily angry about this."

"No. You're unnecessarily in love with me when I have never shown an ounce of interest in you."

"I can't control who I—"

"You can control what you do about it. I hope you get yourself killed by crushing on me."

"You don't mean—"

"I mean that. I do. I'm done playing nice—"

"You call any of this playing nice?"

"Yes. I do. It was your job to help save my life! That was what you were required to do. You weren't doing me a damned favor. And you succeeded, so stop trying to make up for something that you made up for ten years ago."

"You're in a worse mess than you were in the games."

"I disagree. I don't need you to rescue me. I am so tired of you thinking you need to _save me_. I'm not your damsel in distress. There aren't many things I like, but I like being not dead. I like having a daughter and not having to worry about anything but jerks with hero complexes."

"That's horrible," Zuko snaps.

"Why do you want me to be miserable so you can justify your need to be my white knight? It's not horrible for me to be okay with my life. I don't care about what you think of me because we are both living proof that nobody decent ever wins the Games."

Mai starts walking – staggering – away and Korra zips out of the hallway and into the ladies' room faster than she thought she could move.

[X]

Ty Lee dances with Asami, and it is the most fun either girl has had in a while. Asami just finished having odd conversations with endless dignitaries and celebrities, and Ty Lee helped her escape for a little while. They are messy, not romantic of course, and they are laughing.

It ends when Ty Lee stops moving and rests a hand on Asami's arm. Asami does not have to look up, because she smells the pungent mixture of blood and roses.

"May I?" asks President Ozai Shinohai.

Asami realizes he is talking to her and forgets to breathe.

Ty Lee hastily nods.

And so Asami lets him take her hand and guide her from the magenta lights to the scarlet ones. That change of scenery makes it all the more sinister. She stumbles over her feet and has to remember how to dance in the first place. He does not say a word until they are swaying and spinning.

Asami can only hope it is not as bad as it seems.


	11. Book 2: A Drowned Waterbender

**Chapter Four  
A Drowned Waterbender**

 _The weak would never enter the kingdom of love.  
-Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez-  
_

* * *

 ** _The 12th Harmony Games, Victory Tour_**

 _President Sozin Shinohai stands in his office with a pretty young girl from District 2 seated before him. She does not avert her eyes, blush, tremble, or show any other sign of fear. No one knows what to make of Hama, and at this point, more people fear her than fear him._

 _Thankfully, he finds that fear is unsuccessful without hope and comfort to balance it out. People want leaders who terrify and love them at the same time, not unlike a parent._

 _Hama is not one of them. He has no concerns about her stirring up trouble in the wake of the war, but he does feel the need to watch her closely._

 _What she did was abhorrent._

 _"That was impressive," says President Sozin Shinohai. "Very impressive. I didn't know such a thing was possible."_

 _"I didn't either," she admits._

 _"The entire United Republic didn't." Pause. He carefully thinks through his next words. "I'm congratulating you. I'm also wondering about you. I think it would be best if you kept that… talent out of the public eye for at least the time being."_

 _"Yes, one waterbender against the whole Capitol." Hama laughs and the fire behind Sozin glows brighter. "With all due respect, I don't think I'm that much of a threat."_

 _"Why does 'with all due respect' always mean 'fuck you?'" He smirks at her._

 _"Misuse of the term."_

 _"Do you like your tongue?" He has realized she is less cute than he believed._

 _Hama nods and feigns respect for him. "Yes. I just think it's funny that I'd ever be considered a threat to anyone, sir."_

 _"So would I, had I not seen what I did five days ago." Pause. He carefully thinks through his next decision. "The crown suits you, and you seem like a nice girl who did incredible feats to save her own skin. You should be on your way home. The train awaits."_

 _His smile makes her want to force him to kneel._

 _But she does not, because one waterbender against the Capitol is a fight that is impossible to win._

 _Then again, stranger things have happened._

* * *

As the sun creeps into the sky, the neon lights of the Capitol begin to fade. The clouds of smog light up orange and pink and the white streetlamps barely make a dent. It feels like no one should be awake, but Azula has yet to go to sleep in the first place.

She sits on a chair in her bedroom, a notepad on her lap. The ink pen has fallen from between her fingers and now lies on the floor as she drifts between sleep and wakefulness. On the paper, her usually impeccable handwriting is smudged and nigh impossible to read.

 _"Can I trust you?"_

She can feel doom creeping up on her, and the party only made the feeling intensify. Therefore, she spent the entire night focused on a remedy. No one else was looking into one.

Ty Lee rises from bed with sparkling eyes. She wakes up every morning with hope, somehow. Today she may have a headache from lack of sleep and has just escaped nightmares, but she knows that every day is a fresh start.

She sees Azula as she begins to stand up, and her brow furrows from concern.

"You don't look so good," she remarks.

"Very astute." Azula sighs. She glances down at her notepad and feels a flicker of happiness. Reality quickly dampens it. "I figured it out. I figured out how to fix this. I told you I would. It's just…"

Azula is confident in her abilities; she always has been – else she would not have volunteered for the Harmony Games – but this situation is unlike anything she has ever faced. Nothing is certain until her plan succeeds.

"That's good." Ty Lee still feels worried, but she smiles and walks to her beautiful girlfriend. She kisses her dry lips, and adds, "Really good. I knew you could."

Azula shakes her head and nudges Ty Lee off of her.

"I have to get dressed. I need to talk to my father before the wedding preparations begin," Azula says. She tears the front page off of her notebook, folds it up, and shuts it in her desk drawer.

She walks into the bathroom and shuts the door.

[X]

"Good morning, father," says Azula as she enters his office.

Even he looks slightly weary after that party. Azula doubts any of the attendees slept well last night. She does envy them for sleeping at all, however.

"Good morning," he replies, gesturing for her to sit down. She immediately accepts. "You said you would like to talk to me about my little problem of a waterbender hick who thinks she can take down the United Republic singlehandedly."

"Well, she's the Avatar, not just any waterbender hick." Azula clears her throat; that was stupid. "Her lack of experience, however, I think makes her far less of a threat than I feared."

"She's a hero to insurgents. It doesn't matter who she is or what she does; she's the Avatar and that will not change." Ozai reaches out to silence the fire that surged. "I am the villain to them. We all know how those stories end."

"They would need a _real_ hero in order for you to be a halfway decent villain," Azula purrs, meeting his gaze. "I am aware that Korra is the easiest person for the rebels to make a hero, stubborn and unlikeable as she is. Thankfully, I have a proposition for getting rid of her permanently."

"I can't kill her. She's less threatening alive." He does not want to think about a _new_ baby Avatar out there.

"Of course. But she's even less threatening locked up, and I can't remember who said that hope was the only thing stronger than fear but seeking a new Avatar gives at least sixteen-years of hope. Unfortunately, the search will be futile."

"You somehow expect we can fake her death without looking like monsters?" He pities her.

But she does not accept pity, and confidently replies, "Oh, yes, I do. I imagine a drowned person can be resuscitated and salvaged with our modern technology."

"I have never seen a waterbender drown." He almost laughs.

Azula leans forward. "You haven't seen what I have in mind for the Quarter Quell."

"I have no idea what you mean and am losing my patience very quickly, my Girl on Fire."

"You asked me to come up with a Quell, and so I did. Nostalgia is good television, in my opinion…"

[X]

A few blocks away from the Presidential Palace, Mai sits across from Katara on the quiet rooftop of a restaurant. Katara has strong tea and weary eyes; Mai has a strong drink and jaded eyes.

"So, I'm throwing a brunch party for Korra," Katara says, shifting the subject. "Apparently Ty Lee is giving one to Asami, so I just thought I'd take the initiative."

"Do I have to go to either one of those?" Mai asks.

"No."

Mai sips her drink. "Then, that sounds like a nice thing for you to do. I will point out that definitely everyone is hung over."

"You aren't. You never seem to get one," Katara says.

"Because I am still drinking. If I were to stop drinking, I think the collective hangover would kill me." Mai briefly smiles.

"That seems like a foolproof method of avoiding hangovers." Katara does not think it has any foundation in science or reality, but Mai does not look nearly as bad as she does.

"Yeah." Mai's change of topic is far graver than talk of brunches. "I shouldn't ask but I'm going to; you put Hama up to talking to Azula, didn't you?"

"That was a group decision." Katara's eyelashes flutter. "Wait—how did you know about that?"

"I think it's endearing that you believe surveillance is an honor system." Mai finishes her drink in memory of _that_ conversation with her husband.

"Should I be worried?" Katara whispers.

"No." Mai smirks. "People spill a lot of things when they're wasted at a party. Sometimes on priceless equipment."

Katara breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Oh, I only did it because I fucked you over with the whole poison ordeal and I owe you people," Mai cavalierly explains. "I don't agree with you people. I will never help you people. I will help you alone. Occasionally."

"I will never understand why you're so against us." Katara thinks that Mai, above any other, could bring a rebellion to life. She thinks that Zuko is right about Mai's situation, and how she possibly has lost all hope and at least half of her mind over the past decade.

"Because if you people win," Mai says, "I doubt the odds are in my favor."

She does not like to imagine what would happen if he is overthrown. Whenever the districts are discontented she has nightmares of being locked in the center of the palace while insurgents lay waste to the world around her. She thankfully wakes up before what happens next.

"You're one of us," Katara yet again insists.

"No, I'm not. You might disagree, but I find that ten years of damage control have been very successful. I'm not explaining myself to you or anyone else again. I do want to know what Hama said to her."

"I thought surveillance wasn't an honor system." Katara smiles, but it does nothing to mute the darkness in the air.

"They were out of earshot, as far as I know."

"That's a plus. I disagree with the idea of Azula helping us. She's a victor as gamemaker but President Shinohai is not an idiot. He wouldn't put it in her hands if he didn't trust her."

"Yeah. There's only one reason Azula would ever help the rebels."

"And what's that?" Katara inquires.

"If she thinks they're going to win."

[X]

Ty Lee hosts the wedding brunch at a place even Azula finds to be weird. The strange lights and decorations are enough, but girls in strange skimpy outfits offer stranger drinks. It feels like a nightclub in the middle of the day.

Asami sits with her sister, alone in the corner, as Ty Lee tries to throw a party. She is successful, save for including the guest of honor.

"I hate this place," Asami says over the music.

"So do I, but it's your little party and you should play along with my girlfriend." Azula glances over her shoulder at Ty Lee.

Asami says, "But it's hard to hear. Isn't brunch supposed to be peaceful?"

Azula crosses her legs and leans back. She knows what that truly means, save for the fact that this is a very unusual brunch.

"What do you want to know?" Azula asks. She knew the questions would not stop, no matter what she did.

"Will it be enough?" Asami asks. She sounds cold, logical, like she does when discussing engineering and not her life. "If I control Korra through magic fake love powers or whatever I'm supposed to do, will it be enough to fix the problem? Or is it going to get better before it gets worse?"

"It will never be enough," Azula says. It is the truth. "I woke up one night after I first moved in with my father. It was another nightmare; they never go away. I was in the bathroom trying not to have a nervous breakdown when Mai came in. I asked her if it ever got better. She told me it didn't. And it never will. You will never be certain that you are safe, no matter how much you think is enough to give."

"That's comforting." Asami loses all interest in her weird food.

"I am not here to comfort you. I am here to keep you alive."

"What if I don't want to stay alive?" Asami cannot meet her sister's eyes after saying that. She blushes, but the sweltering heat makes it impossible to notice.

"If you kill yourself I will be forced to kill you."

Asami sighs and studies the couple making out at another booth. "I don't have the guts to kill myself."

"That's a good enough reason."

Asami decides to push her luck; she might not be able to have a concealed conversation with Azula again.

"President Shinohai talked to me last night," she says. "He said I just had to make it through the wedding."

"Do you believe him?"

"No."

"Clever of you." Azula wishes she had figured that out faster. She believed in the glory, fame and luxury that came with her status as a victor. She tried not to believe in the struggle, danger and pain that came with her status as a slave.

"I always knew the life of a victor was a lie, because, well, you know…" _our druggie mother_ , "but I didn't think it would be like this."

"Just get through the wedding and you can go home. Then the Quell, and then we'll go from there." Azula thinks she can make that happen after her talk with Ozai.

Asami grimaces. "That sounds a lot more complicated than one sentence."

"Two sentences. I said it in two sentences," Azula snaps.

"Well, they're fragmented sentences." The corner of Asami's lip twitches. "You're also evading my questions."

Azula rolls her eyes. "I am evading your questions because I am hoping you will come to your senses and stop asking them."

"Do you know what the Quarter Quell is?"

"I am done here." Azula stands up, sighs, and walks to the crowd that has gathered around Ty Lee.

Asami frowns.

It was fun while it lasted.

[X]

Azula sits in front of her father for the second time in one day. The discussion about the Quarter Quell went well, but she does not think this will be as easy.

"You must want something," Ozai says, "Let's be quick about this."

"I want my sister's safety," Azula states. She has no reason to beat around the bush. "When the Quell ends, I want her to get the life of a victor that she deserves."

"I can't promise you that now," Ozai replies. "I would be an idiot to give you something like that for free."

"My intentions are clear," Azula says. "Give me this promise now and you will have the greatest Quarter Quell in history, as well as my unwavering loyalty."

Ozai examines her before he decides what to say.

"Let me tell you something about intentions," he begins. "I was once given a puzzle or riddle by my father. I was never interested in that kind of thing, but he insisted that I be cultured and educated. Do you want to try to solve it?"

"Yes."

"A spirit approaches you one day and promises that he will grant a single wish if tonight you _intend_ to drink a vial of nonlethal poison tomorrow afternoon. Once you intend to drink the poison for a night, you get your wish in the morning, and don't actually have to drink the poison later. How does the spirit judge your intentions?"

 _It depends on how good of a liar you are_ , Azula thinks. But she says, "It can't. You can't tell what people intend or if they will do what they say they will."

"You miss the point. Since you know that you can choose not to drink it but keep your wish, how could you really intend to drink it?"

"I don't know."

"On the flipside, how do you know that the spirit will even grant your wish?"

"I don't know."

"Then you see why this deal is unwise for both of us."

Azula decides that she will go through with her wild idea. It has been on her mind all day.

"What if I do more than just promise you that my plan will work? I am more than willing to secure your investment."

Silence.

"If you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting, you must have a death wish."

"Everyone has to die eventually." At least that is how Azula justifies it to herself.

Ozai drums his fingers on his desk.

She gives him headaches.

[X]

It is late afternoon, the wedding is rapidly approaching, and Korra has just snuck into Asami's room.

Asami is not happy to see her. She has been spending her afternoon feeling physically sick about what she is doing to Korra. How long can you pretend to love someone? Will you love them someday? She does not know why she ever agreed to play the star-crossed lovers tile.

But Korra's face feels welcome once Asami sees it. For once, she is looking at someone she can fully trust. Asami just wishes Korra didn't trust her back.

"What's on your face?" Korra asks, studying the beautiful young woman in front of her. She looks to have very dark mud dried onto her skin.

"It's a mask. My stylists said to wear it until they put me together for the wedding," Asami replies with a warm smile.

"Capitol stuff is weird. But it works for you." Korra grins.

"I had this stuff at home," Asami hesitantly admits.

"You always seemed kinda… swanky," Korra awkwardly comments. Asami laughs. "It's a good thing. I like swanky. I like you."

"I like you too," Asami honestly replies.

"I love you," Korra says and Asami panics.

She is honest. She cannot lie about that.

"There's nobody I would rather be doing this with," she says.

Korra looks mildly hurt, but recovers quickly. "Are you ready?"

"No."

The Avatar laughs. "Neither am I."

[X]

Two hours later, Asami is glittering. She _looks_ prepared to walk down the aisle, but she isn't.

The dresses of the two victors attract attention, largely because they are so simple. It is an odd concept coming from the Districts, but in the Capitol everything is complicated.

Asami wears a bodice of blue sapphires with scarlet silk rushing from it like a river of blood. The one strap over her right shoulder is made of periwinkle roses.

Korra wears loose, plain turquoise hued silk that is held tightly at her waist by a sash of rubies. The red rose adorning one of her two sleeves is huge and nearly overshadows her face.

On top of such undecorated dresses, they both have their hair down. Held into windswept positions with an amount of hairspray that makes it hard for them to breathe, yes, but very ordinary and in colors that most people in the Capitol consider to be drab.

Only Asami has jewelry. A pearl necklace with a gilded heart as its centerpiece and sapphire earrings. Korra didn't do so well with such things.

Their lipstick glimmers bright gold, matching the smoky gold eyeshadow.

Asami is adjusting the stifling rose sleeve when she sees her sister behind her in the mirror.

"I have one last addition to tonight's costume," Azula silkily says. Asami turns around, uncertain what that means until she sees Azula holding the phoenix pin that she kind of threw at her sister a few days ago.

Asami allows Azula to clasp the pin just above her left breast. It sticks out like a sore thumb atop the sapphires.

"Is this an approved addition?" Asami asks as she examines it in the mirror.

"No," Azula replies with a devious smirk.

Asami smiles.

"I know you said to stop with the questions, but, uh, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, but I cannot promise an answer."

Asami blushes and squirms before she manages to form the words. "How do I get out of this on my wedding night?"

Azula feels a flood of relief. _That_ is a question she can safely answer.

"Oh, you won't be getting out of this," she says. "You will be getting out of your reception dress."

"I've seen that." It seems twice as complicated. "How do I get out of it?"

"I can't say this to my baby sister." Azula looks more uncomfortable than Asami has ever seen her. "Ugh, fine, you have forced my hand. You'll be dressed again in something more… removable. And they'll probably do something about your hair."

"Wait—that's a bit personal."

"You asked."

"No, really, someone is going to dress me up for my wedding night?" Asami shudders at the thought of a prep team slipping her into lingerie so she can… do it with a girl she is tricking. She had hoped her first time would not involve so much body glitter and treason.

"Yes."

Silence.

Asami groans; there is so much more to be said.

"I wanna say… I want to say I'm sorry." Asami wrings her hands.

"Again? That's what got you into this mess." Azula sighs and tugs at her strapless azure mess of a dress. She hates it. With her eyes averted, out of the corner of her mouth she says, "I also apologize for my actions; they were fairly unkind."

"I want to get to know you again," Asami says softly. "I still remember how much I wanted to be like you."

Azula faintly smiles. "Well, you have succeeded in many ways. All the same, you could choose better idols than me."

"I think you're a lot of people's idol."

"A lot of people who know nothing about me," Azula says. "You know me far too well to like me."

"You are, in fact, a remarkably dislikable person." They both stare at each other for a speechless moment. "But I love you and you risked yourself over and over to save me. That means so much to me."

If Azula had any cheer in her, it vanishes. "It shouldn't. I only did it because it was my fault you were Reaped. And… because I wanted to anger the people who wanted you to die in there."

"Word of advice; this would have been a good time to lie to me."

"Hm. Well, I saved you because I love you and you don't deserve to suffer due to my actions. Now go find your father. Let's get this thing over with. You walk down that aisle _fast_ , you hear me?"

"I'll run," Asami comments, a smile creeping onto her face.

Azula smirks.

"Good."


	12. Book 2: The Wedding

**Chapter Five  
The Wedding**

 _Love is the blackest of all plagues... if one could die of it, there would be some pleasure in love, but you don't die of it.  
-The Seventh Seal-  
_

* * *

 _ **The 50th Harmony Games, Day Seven**_

 _Yusa finds the berries and examines how innocent they look._

 _Who wouldn't eat them, without knowing any better?_

 _All she has to do is make sure someone does. She scans her small campsite before she sees the perfect thing: the silver parachute resting at her feet. She never saw one and she doubts she will see another in a Quell that banned them from half of the tributes. Including her._

 _The case is intact, and she pours the shiny red berries inside. She seals the case, sticks it in her bag, and knows she has a weapon._

 _Now to get to the career camp._

 _And not die trying._

* * *

Korra thinks that perhaps the entire Capitol is at this wedding. At _her_ wedding.

She stands at the love spirit altar in front of a limitless sea of faces. While she cannot see their expressions, she knows they are all either skeptical or excited. That means scrutiny of every kind. She hopes she does not screw this up.

The first person in the processional makes her heart race, but in a good way. It is her mother and father. She almost screams, because she has worried and worried that they died in the Victor's Village massacre. They are alive, and they are smiling, and she is smiling now.

Asami and Korra do not have the most expansive wedding party. Neither girl ever had many friends, and they lost those they did have when they returned from the Games. Asami has her sister; Korra has Hama. Ty Lee said she couldn't decide, but she was definitely going to stand beside Azula.

Mimi makes for an adorable flower girl. She seems to be having the most fun out of everyone in the cavernous room. Korra smiles at her, and Mimi stops tossing petals to wave.

Lastly, Asami walks towards her with her father at her side. Hiroshi enjoys the spotlight; Asami appears to be trying to subtly run.

Korra smiles at her.

This wedding no longer feels like torture.

[X]

As soon as the wedding ends, Korra hugs her parents and refuses to let go until the cameras intrude. Asami and Korra try to keep up with the questions and flashing lights.

Meanwhile, Azula sits on one of the countless benches with her stepmother.

"You're going to marry Ty Lee," Mai whispers and Azula glares.

"How do you know?" she snaps.

"Because you were looking at her for the entire ceremony instead of your little sister. I wish she could have seen your face every two seconds." Mai takes a sip of her drink, and then another, and another. She finishes it before Azula can process her words.

Azula glances at Ty Lee and sees her fawning over an uncomfortable Korra while a reporter interrogates Asami. After a heartbeat, Azula returns her gaze to Mai. No, Azula is absolutely not marrying Ty Lee. That is _ridiculous_.

"It would be reckless and insane," Azula says, thinking of the copious danger.

"You could be a little more reckless. Nobody is anymore. She's already publicly involved with you. Marrying her wouldn't change anything."

Azula scoffs. "When did you become a hopeless romantic?"

"I'm not even answering that."

The cameras turn their attention to Azula, and she welcomes the excuse for escape.

[X]

As the reception begins, Azula captures Asami. They divert the attention to Korra, and have a few brief moments away from the infinite eyes on them.

"You will do fine," Azula says to Asami. "You _did_ fine, and you just have to get through the reception."

"I thought this doesn't end," Asami whispers, furrowing her brow.

"It will work out," Azula softly says, squeezing her sister's hand. "I promise."

Asami sighs and shifts her weight from side to side. "I want to believe you."

"That's enough for now."

So long as Azula's plan for the Quarter Quell goes smoothly, this _will_ end. Asami can live the life of a victor that she deserves, and Korra will be out of the way forever. But when Azula remembers the sacrifice she promised her father, she feels sick.

Asami wishes she knew what was going on behind her sister's eyes.

[X]

Ten minutes after Azula and Asami's exchange, "Mom, dad!" Korra shouts over the music. She hugs her mom as tightly as she can. "I thought I'd never see you again! Did you like the wedding? How did you get here? Are you staying nearby?"

"Easy there," her dad says. Korra at last releases her mom and bites back tears. "One question at a time."

"How did you live?" Korra whispers.

"No one tried to hurt us that day," her mom says as if that is a good thing.

It makes Korra more nervous than she has ever been.

[X]

Azula locates Hiroshi Sato as the guests slowly drift towards their designated seats. She could not be happier that he is not seated with her and her _real_ family. He looks stunned when she approaches him.

"Hello," Azula says and he eyes her closely. "I need to speak with you while everyone is… partying."

She sits down across from her ex-stepfather. He looks torn between kindness and wariness.

"Yes?" he asks as soon as she settles.

"I want to save your daughter's life, but you have to do me a favor without asking any questions. I want you to help me make the Quarter Quell; you already create everything in the arena, so I imagine it will not be a moral quandary. You will be my second in command. That requires doing as I say, offering your opinion if I _ask_ for it… and taking my place if anything were to happen to me."

"Are you concerned something will happen to you?" Hiroshi asks, adjusting his glasses. His sweat glistens in the dim light.

"No, but if I were, do you think I would tell _you_?" Azula coldly replies.

"I don't imagine you would," he hastily says. "I'll gladly help you."

"You are a dreadful liar," Azula snaps. "Stop being worried about Asami. I will take care of her; you will obey me so that I can make that happen."

"The first meeting is tomorrow. I will see you there."

[X]

Korra takes Asami by the hand for their dance. She then pulls her hand away and wipes it on her reception dress. Asami's shoulders shake with silent giggles as they step into the blinding spotlights. Korra's breath catches when vivid memories of her interviews with Varrick strike her. Asami covers the slip up by taking Korra's role in the dance.

It is a smart move. Korra has not been having the best day of her life, and she does not think she can focus her mind on dancing when it has been racing for hours.

"Smile," Asami whispers in Korra's ear.

"I don't know what to smile about," Korra replies.

"We can eat in a few minutes," Asami suggests. "That's worth smiling about."

Korra takes her wife's advice and grins.

[X]

Mai sits alone with Korra at their table. Korra devoured her dessert; Mai did not touch hers.

"No small talk?" Mai says. Korra flinches at the suddenly broken silence.

"Uhh… I heard you and Zuko fighting at the Victory Tour Party," Korra comments.

"You are sober, and you are saying that. Never drink," Mai says, sighing.

"What? I just was… wondering why you two always looks like such cute friends on TV but…"

"I don't know about cute, but we used to be friends. After my Games, our friendship ended," Mai replies. "When we were kids, he'd have these bonfires out by the fence, and a bunch of kids would hang out there. I always did. And he had a guitar, of course, and he played it, and he played stuff like 'The Hanging Tree' and all that. I liked that one. I don't remember the others. It's the only song I ever knew when I was young. I don't like music very much."

"What's that song?" Korra asks.

"You'd have to hear it and I'm not singing it for you. But Zuko used to tell the story behind it."

"What story?"

"So, it's really old. Not even District 9 old; Century of Ash old. There's this peasant boy who screws this noble girl and they're all in love. Then her dad loses it and sends these three cronies into a bar after him. He kills them in the fight, but they lynch him."

"What a nice story."

"It's not done yet. That's the background. So, his girlfriend escapes, but she's pregnant and gets outcast. Her son grows up to be a fine young peasant boy and he falls for a noble girl, right?"

"Do they live happily ever after?"

"Do you wanna hear the story or not?"

"I do, I do."

"So, he falls for that noble girl and she falls for him, but she's engaged to this guy. They're having this affair and everything, and she gets pregnant, right? So she's going to run away happily ever after, right? But when they leave, her fiancé tells everybody that the peasant guy kidnapped her. That he stole her and hurt her and all this.

"So, they catch the guy and lock him up. He's set to be executed or something. He forces the noble girl to tell her fiancé that he really did kidnap her, so she wouldn't meet the fate of his mother.

"But then her fiancé beats her up or tries to kill her or something, and she miscarries the baby. She's so distraught about the loss of that child that she sneaks out at midnight and releases her boyfriend from jail. But they can't make it very far and there's no hope anymore. They reach the tree where his father was hanged, and they hang themselves in the same tree so that they can die together and on their own terms. The End."

Korra stares blankly for a moment.

"That's really depressing."

"I don't know a happier love story than that one. It reminds me of you and your wife. That you'd, uh, rather die together than be apart."

"You sound more skeptical than President Shinohai."

"Because I am."

"I love her. I wish every day that I had taken that poison and she had gotten out. She's only in such a bad position because of me."

Mai was not expecting such _passion_. Maybe this poor girl actually _is_ in love with Asami.

 _That's_ really depressing.

[X]

Two hours into the stuffy reception, "The blushing bride," says a victor who takes under two seconds to identify. The 62nd Harmony Games: June. Korra realizes she is holding a shot and has no idea how it got into her hand. "You have awful reflexes. I have no idea how you won the Games."

Korra grunts. "I have great reflexes when I'm expecting to need them."

"Those aren't great reflexes," June says, sitting down on the table. One woman expresses quiet distaste, but June shoots her a silencing glance. "You won because you were good at fighting and had a lot of dumb luck."

"That sounds about right," Korra says. She tries the shot and almost spits it out, but ultimately succeeds at swallowing it. "It's nice to meet you."

"I know it," June replies. "Hey, Opal, hey, get over here."

Korra looks up to see Opal. Bolin is behind her, tugging Asami along the way.

"You're so beautiful," Opal says to Korra.

June interjects, "Welcome to our very exclusive club. We hope you're not a lightweight."

"She doesn't mean that," Opal says, touching Korra's shoulder.

"Oh, she does," Bolin bluntly corrects.

[X]

"I am not going to dance," Azula states.

Ty Lee, dejected, sits down beside her and twists to meet her gaze. "I guess we don't have to then. What do you want to do then?"

"Escape. I have been here long enough," Azula says. "The Capitol is mostly shut down for this affair. Perhaps we could go for a stroll."

"You mean sorta public sex?"

"No, I did not, but that sounds better than my suggestion," Azula purrs to Ty Lee's shameless delight.

"My house isn't a far walk. We could end up there," Ty Lee says.

"So, not sorta public sex?"

"Probably not."

Azula glances around and stands up. "Anything is better than this place. Come on."

[X]

Azula and Ty Lee walk through the cold Capitol streets. The neon lights still burn and blaze, but everywhere is deserted. Korra and Asami's wedding is mandatory viewing, after all. Ty Lee hopes over a small puddle and then reaches for Azula's hand.

She does not get a favorable response.

"We're all alone out here. Nobody'll see," Ty Lee says, stopping and turning to hold her hand out again.

Azula hesitantly moves to take it, but she changes her mind.

"We should keep walking," Azula says and Ty Lee softly sighs. "Is your father back yet?"

"Yeah," Ty Lee says, "but my parents are at the wedding."

"I didn't see you with them," Azula says.

"You weren't watching me so closely then."

"Are you disappointed?"

"A little." Ty Lee smiles.

They walk together into the Fashion District, towards Ty Lee's family's shop.

It will be a lovely night.

[X]

On her wedding night, Asami feels very awkward. Stylists she never met before are dressing her into lingerie. They are, as Azula predicted, doing something about her hair.

"It's easy to take down," says the woman tying the bun. "Don't worry."

"Believe me; that's not what I'm worried about," she whispers.

She swallows when they finish and bid her goodbye. Now she is alone, alone with Korra, alone to figure out what the right actions are. Asami has made too many mistakes to be confident in herself tonight or any night for the rest of her life.

When she walks into the beautiful Capitol bedroom, she sees Korra messing with the bra she was clearly snapped into.

"Sorry, this is just, really uncomfortable," Korra says. "Oh! That wasn't a, I didn't mean that I want to take it off. Take it off yet, I mean…"

Asami grabs the remote the controls every device in the room. She seeks something that can distract them, if only for a moment.

She turns on the screen that encompasses an entire wall.

The ocean. Korra looks up and sees the ocean. Asami cannot take her eyes away from the waves.

"We should go there someday," Korra says.

Asami nods. "Yeah. I think we should."

They linger for a few moments before they remember why they are here.

"I'm not sure how this goes," Korra says, turning to face Asami. "Uh, do you, uh… huh."

"I'm not sure either…" Asami takes a slow breath and continues, "but we haven't been sure about anything in a long time."

"I'm sure I love you," Korra firmly states.

"Oh," Asami whispers.

She wishes that were not true.


	13. Book 2: Never Make Me Be Alone

**Chapter Six  
Never Make Me Be Alone**

 _Just close your eyes_  
 _You'll be alright_  
 _Come morning light,_  
 _You and I'll be safe and sound.  
"Safe & Sound" - Taylor Swift  
_

* * *

 ** _The 13_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Day Six_**

 _Hama always imagined that time slows down when someone dies. She was wrong; it does the opposite. Disoriented, she has to stare and stare to register what just happened. Once her mind catches up to the present moment, she sees her ally resting on her lap._

"Just close your eyes. The morning will be better," _Hama had said mere hours ago._

 _She was wrong; the morning is worse._

 _Hama knows the hovercraft will already be on its way, and she does not want to attract attention to herself. She lingers over Kanna's corpse for a moment before forcing herself to stand and run._

 _As she races to cover, she smiles to herself. It looks deranged to the cameras, but she is not the first to smirk that way in the arena. She will not be the last either.  
_

 _Tonight is the full moon, and she will have her revenge._

* * *

Korra and Asami return to the world from their perfect bubble of Pai Sho, swimming, kissing, all of that, and feel like they have been lost to time for a thousand years, not on a honeymoon for a week. Everything looks like a blur, every light dim, every shadow bright.

The world is not pretty, and they almost forgot that.

Now they have been back in District 2 for an entire month. On this sunny afternoon, Korra runs into the house between Hama and her parents' and dashes up the stairs like a mountain ram. She knocks on Asami's bedroom door. It looks beautiful, and as untouched as everything else in the Victor's Village. It was renovated when they returned. They expected ashes stained with blood after what happened on their Victory Tour.

"ASAMI!" she screams, pounding harder. She leans into the action, nearly breaking the door.

Her wife finally opens the door, rubbing one eye.

"Korra, it's so early," she complains.

"It's almost two in the afternoon," Korra says and Asami furrows her brow.

"It can't be…" She shakes her head. Waking up from nightmares four times a night has made her sleep twice as much as she used to. And, even if her brain tortures her asleep, it tortures her more when she is awake. A few days ago she got a bit of dust in her mouth and had a panic attack. Her bed is a safety bubble of sorts. "Yeah?"

"I bought a boat! You have to get dressed," Korra says, jingling keys in Asami's face.

"You bought a boat?" Asami asks, laughing.

"Yeah. Now hurry up, will you?" Korra smiles and Asami softly sighs. "I haven't been out on the water in a thousand years."

"I'll get ready," Asami says, still smiling as she reenters her room.

[X]

In the Capitol, Azula lies beside Ty Lee. They are both awake, but both silent. That is a first for Ty Lee.

The reason why Ty Lee says nothing is because she was woken by Azula waking. Azula went through the same routine she always does. Drenched in sweat, she gets up and scrubs her hands until she is raw. She goes downstairs and eats. She walks upstairs and lies down on top of a towel back beside the girlfriend she thinks is none the wiser.

"I heard those guys talking last night at the party," Ty Lee says and Azula shrugs.

"Why does that matter?" she asks.

"There's gonna be a war," Ty Lee says, stunning Azula. "I can feel it, and it's our fault."

Azula clasps her hands over her navel and takes a few slow, deep breaths. She thinks about what she has planned and what it will do to the girl next to her. That should not bother her, but it suddenly does. That must be the madness of afterglow. That's it. It cannot be more than that.

"Not if I can help it," Azula replies. She rolls onto her side and kisses Ty Lee's neck, but that does not stop it.

"I keep feeling like bad things are gonna happen. They can't not happen," Ty Lee whispers.

"Too many bad things have happened already," Azula says as a sudden neon light stains Ty Lee bright pink. The shadows under her eyes look like they are stealing Ty Lee's light. "You will be alright, because…" Azula is uncertain if she should say the words on her mind, but she does. "You will be alright, because I will not let anything happen to you."

"You'll protect me." Ty Lee thinks that is sweet. Perhaps not honest, but sweet.

"Of course. I have come to the conclusion that I will never let you go or let anything take you away from me," Azula says, regretting each word as she says it. These connections are foolish. Trust, love, hope, all for fools. The moment Azula decides she cannot have Ty Lee taken from her… Ozai already knows how to use Ty Lee against his daughter.

Ty Lee sits up. The neon pink light flashes again and reveals tears streaming from Ty Lee's eyes. Azula lies perfectly still; she does not know what to do.

"Don't ever let me go," Ty Lee whispers. "Don't ever make me be alone."

Azula knows what she is going to do to Ty Lee in under six months. She knows that she is lying when she says, "I promise to never make you be alone."

There; it is just like anything else she says to girls she wants to sleep with. Azula lies to her just like she would lie to anyone else. But a nagging doubt tears Azula to pieces. She is not lying for her own benefit; she is lying for Ty Lee's.

"I love you," Ty Lee says.

Azula again knows she is lying when she says, "I love you."

Ty Lee cries harder and Azula has no idea why.

[X]

In District 2, Korra loudly starts up the truly disgusting fishing boat that Asami feels icky about sitting on. It really is not the most romantic afternoon being out in the swamp on a rusty secondhand boat, but Asami finds it to be better than their house.

"So, have you talked to your dad lately?" Korra asks and Asami stares at the murky water. Jumping in seems favorable to answering that.

"No. He's making the _Games_. I can't forgive that, as much as I want to," Asami says, holding back tears. Every time she walks past her empty childhood home, she thinks about him living in the Capitol and writing a script for the brutality that stole everything from her.

Korra wants to say again that Hiroshi probably did not have much of a choice, but she keeps it to herself. Agreeing with Asami is easier than arguing with her.

"Look, turtleducks!" Korra announces, smiling wide.

It eases Asami's stress, if only for a little while.

Korra can be happy, somehow, sometimes. That gives Asami hope.

[X]

In the Capitol, "This Quell is going to kill me," Azula says, not realizing the double meaning of the sentence until she says it.

She has never been so tired. Nightmares have always kept her up, but now she has late meetings and seemingly infinite weight on her shoulders.

On top of making the most important Harmony Games in history, Azula also has to make the biggest decision of her life. She can back the rebels, or she can fulfill her promise to her father. That has been made clear by this point.

"No, it won't," Ty Lee says and Azula tries not to look at her.

Lying is easy. Lying is second nature. Dealing with her attachment to another human being is the hardest thing she has ever done.

"Do you want to do something relaxing? We could watch a movie! We could take a bath!" Ty Lee beams but Azula glares.

"I don't do water. You know that," Azula snarls, throwing open a drawer and taking two of the pills inside.

"You just..." Ty Lee does not know what to say.

"I'm a dying star," Azula says, poking at the dark circles under her eyes. Covering them up seems futile at this point. "It was only a matter of time."

She means that.

"You are as unquenchable as the sun," breathlessly says Ty Lee, taking Azula by the arms. "And you burn even brighter than it."

"That is…" Azula sighs and pries Ty Lee off of her. "That is melodramatic, even for you."

"It's true, and it's cute and romantic," Ty Lee says, walking over to Azula's window and staring out at the city. She glances up at the sky. "Ew. It looks like there's gonna be a storm."

A crash of thunder punctuates her sentence and she puts her hand over her mouth. Azula feels sick when she hears it. Her most recent meeting involved deep discussion of thunderstorms. She does not need to think about the arena even more than she already does.

"I am going to sleep all day tomorrow," Azula says, rubbing her eyes.

Ty Lee chirps, "You can't."

"Why not?" Azula snaps, glaring at someone who _dares_ contest her.

"Because the Quell Announcement is tomorrow," Ty Lee answers and Azula nods. Of course Ty Lee would not stand against her; she is not brave enough.

"I forgot," Azula says, returning to the task of changing into a nightdress. "Wait, you have to be wrong. It can't have been a month since the wedding."

"It has been," Ty Lee says, sitting down on Azula's bed. She has all but moved in at this point. Ozai would never allow that, even if he turns a blind eye to the escort staying over every single night and putting a toothbrush in his daughter's bathroom. "I'm excited for it."

"You shouldn't be," Azula says. It will devastate Ty Lee to see what happens next, but Azula tries not to think about that. "It fills me with overwhelming dread."

"That was really honest of you," Ty Lee says, beaming.

Azula lies down on her bed and sighs. "Goodnight."

She does not fall asleep for hours.

[X]

The next day, Korra paces in the kitchen. Asami feels queasy watching her. Naga does not make it worse by padding around in circles before lying down.

Finally, Korra stops and Asami's head ceases its reeling. The United Republic Anthem plays in the background and she races to get on the sofa. Her parents sit nearby, Asami beside her, and Hama in a half-forgotten armchair.

Korra bites on her thumbnail as she watches the scene. Hundreds or maybe thousands of people are gathered in a faceless mass. Upon a stage in front of the Tribute Center, sits a bunch of important people, and President Shinohai, and his wife, and his daughter.

Azula walks to the microphone and gives a small speech that Korra does not care about. She barely hears it as she waits for the verdict.

Finally, Azula reaches into a bowl with the symbol for all four elements on it. She withdraws a slip of paper and Korra forgets to breathe. Slowly, Azula Shinohai unfolds it.

She reads, "To remind us that not even the strongest are not invincible, this year's tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors."

Asami almost throws up on her shoes.

Korra loudly asks, "What does that mean?"

The First Lady of the United Republic stands up and walks off of the stage, into the center as a few peacekeepers frantically follow her. Azula nods at the crowd, and Korra sees that psychopath looked _unnerved_ for the first time.

"It means I'm going back into the Games," Asami whispers, the only one who thinks to answer the Avatar's question.

Korra realizes that she is too.

[X]

The moment Azula steps into the Tribute Center, someone pins her against the wall and she feels the blade of a knife pressed against her throat. She lights her hand but stops herself from burning the assailant when she sees who it predictably is.

"You _bitch_ , Undo this _now_ ," snarls Mai.

"I can't undo it, and don't act like I made this up. I had no idea what it would be. I wouldn't have done this. You know I wouldn't. What about Asami? There aren't any other fire tributes left in 2; she is going into that arena." Azula hastily lies, painfully aware of the blade pressing into her skin.

Mai releases Azula.

She believes the lie.


	14. Book 2: Convince Me

**Chapter Seven  
Convince Me**

 _Though nothing can bring back the hour_  
 _Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower;_  
 _We will grieve not, rather find_  
 _Strength in what remains behind  
-William Wordsworth-  
_

* * *

 ** _The 70_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _For the past four years, Mai has watched the reaping with anxiety in the pit of her stomach. This is her fifth, and they only seem to become more and more nerve-wracking._

 _Sitting in her living room at a small and dreadful party, she twists her ring around her finger absentmindedly over and over again. District 1 does not bother her. District 2, for once, does. The boy is the grandson of a victor and the girl is a daughter of one. The girl volunteers, which makes Mai twice as uneasy._

 _Mai closes her eyes._

 _One more year. One more year and she can breathe._

 _She has done everything she was supposed to do. Her only fear is that he would do it anyway, just because he could._

 _No. Mai convinced everyone, even him._

 _Her district is last._

 _She convinced him._

"I think I love you."

 _District 8 reaps a teenage boy and a little girl. Mai does not care anymore. She has forgotten how to hurt for those kids._

 _The scenery shifts._

 _She convinced him._

 _A second twelve-year-old is Reaped, this time from 9. Mai thankfully does not recognize her. She closes her eyes and then forces herself to open them._

 _She convinced him._

 _Therefore, she knows she must be imagining what happens next. Maybe she is in some kind of withdrawal, panicking over visions that do not exist._

 _"Tomo Ukano."_

 _No. A girl sets her hand on Mai's hand in a rushed movement. Mai almost punches her for her act of pity, but forgets how to move._

 _She thought she convinced him._

 _This time, no one volunteers to take her brother's place. No brash girl shouting._

 _There is no sound but the wind._

* * *

After the Quell Announcement, Asami chases Korra behind the homes of the Victor's Village. All are vacant save for three, and Korra expertly weaves behind them. Asami is not nearly as fast as her, but she refuses to quit.

"We can't run from this! You realize that, don't you?" Asami breathlessly shouts, stumbling and stopping. She does not have the strength to keep going, and just hopes that Korra will listen to her and turn around. Thankfully, she does.

"We could," Korra insists, blinking quickly and trying to get a hold on her racing heart.

Asami tenderly inquires, "How?" as she steps closer to her wife.

"I don't know yet," Korra says, trying to speak loudly and failing, "but I don't see another choice. We can't hide, and we can't go back into the Games. We can't."

"Korra," Asami says, at last catching her breath and straightening her posture. "You don't run from things. That's not who you are."

In a fit of rage, Korra thrusts her hand to the side and sends a hunk of earth flying into the woods. She lowers her hand and remembers she is not supposed to bend anything but water. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"Well, I do," Asami assuredly claims. "I know you and I really care about you, okay?"

Korra stares at her for a few moments, trying to make up her mind. Finally, she sighs and caves in; Asami is right.

"Let's go to the boat." Cameras and bugs could not follow them there, or at least Korra assumes.

"Okay," Asami agrees, and they both take off down the worn dirt trail behind their house.

They fade away into the swamp, but know they will have to eventually return.

[X]

In the Capitol, the president and his daughter sit at a mahogany desk. She trembles but tries to conceal her anxiety; he easily sees through her veil of faux confidence.

"What am I looking at?" asks Azula as Ozai sets a stack of papers in front of her.

"The failure of your grand schemes," he coldly replies, sitting down. She feels very small. "The public didn't react well to the Quell announcement."

"It _is_ a little unflattering to the government," Azula admits, "seeing as the entire point of winning the Games is being shown the mercy of the Capitol and never having to be Reaped or go hungry again, but trust me on this. Please, trust me on this."

Ozai glares at Azula and a dizzy spell hits her. "There was a full blown uprising in District 8 today. This isn't riots; this is war."

Azula does not know how to remedy the violence. The Avatar was revealed and no fantastical love story or barrage of propaganda or brutal reminder of the power structure can take that back. Korra gives people hope, and hope is dangerous.

"There's been unrest since before the United Republic was the United Republic," Azula attempts to justify. "District 8 is a very bleak place. We have the loyalty of the others, I'm sure, except maybe 6 and 7 and 9. And maybe 5, but they're neither here nor there."

"How many districts are there, Azula?"

"Nine."

"Yes. How many did you just list?"

"Four." Azula shrinks.

"District 2 is an obvious problem, given who their only victors are," he says. "Which makes the final count?"

Azula nervously whispers, "Five."

"Yes," he states. "Five out of nine of the districts are likely to erupt within the month."

"Right." There is nothing more she can say to him. The damage is done.

He says, "I have a task for you."

[X]

Meanwhile in District 2, Korra shoves her new boat into the water and hops on. Asami already sits on it, covering her ears to muffle the scraping sound. Korra never liked oars or paddles; she likes using her bending. Asami never liked boats; she likes staying safely on land.

Despite Asami's loathing for drifting through a swamp, she does like being away from prying eyes.

"I thought we did what we were supposed to. I thought we convinced them," Asami whispers, her voice barely audible over the water.

"I'm the Avatar. We couldn't stop this no matter what we did. Lightning hit a dried up forest," Korra says, stopping her bending, leaving the boat bobbing in the middle of the reeds. "There was nothing anybody could do to stop it."

"Things couldn't have been that bad under the surface," Asami says, shaking her head as she speaks.

"Hama said there were a lot of attempts to rebel and a lot of chances," Korra explains, now somehow fearless. Asami wishes she could be that way, but her mind always trips her up. "They kind of enslaved a lot of people for their own ends after killing those people for like a hundred years. We didn't do anything except lose a war."

"I still remember this little boy in District 7," Asami says, gazing at the sweet, ignorant turtleducks playing in the murky water. "He was on the side of the road begging and he looked me right in the eyes and I didn't do anything. I just looked away."

"You couldn't do anything," Korra vehemently insists. "I don't think you understand that this is completely out of our hands and it has been since the fates of our lives were selected by _lottery_. And I didn't even _know_ I was the Avatar and you were just trying to survive."

"We got the other victors killed," Asami replies.

Korra remembers that day in District 7 like it was yesterday. The news after it was the worst she had ever received. "You were trying to help. _We_ were trying to help."

Asami opens her mouth to talk but then hears a roaring sound of some sort. It takes her a moment to realize that it is an engine. More than one.

"Korra, we have to get back to land. I don't like that sound."

[X]

At dusk in the Capitol, Azula examines a hideous dress that she would never wear in a thousand years. It is worse than anything anyone has ever forced her to wear on camera.

"I like it," Azula lies, and she easily convinces Ty Lee's mother. She lifts her fingers from the magenta fabric and turns around.

"I'm glad," says the tattooed woman. You would never know where her family came from. Not unlike Azula herself, so she cannot judge.

Azula stands in a popular but currently empty boutique, awkwardly trying to converse with her girlfriend's family. They own the place, and their designs are decent for Capitol standards. Azula finds the number of sequins to be both blinding and tasteless.

"I will be taking your daughter out of town for an undetermined amount of time," Azula says, picking up a sewing needle and gently poking it. "We're going to District 2."

"Is it safe there?" very slowly asks Ty Lee's mother.

"Safer there than here, I assure you." That is not a lie, although Azula would like to convince herself otherwise.

Finally, Ty Lee comes downstairs before her mother asks any more stupid questions. She is lucky to have such a beautiful face and body, because her clothes are ghastly. It would be a grand entrance no matter what, although Azula pretends to be unimpressed.

"Yes. Ty Lee, finally," Azula says, "let's go elsewhere as fast as possible."

"I thought we were having dinner _here_." Ty Lee pouts.

"I lied," Azula brazenly replies. "You asked me before I announced the Quell, and so I decided to placate you."

Ty Lee frowns, and then realizes that Azula does not want to face Ty Lee's family. They are very strongly affected by the Quarter Quell, but Ty Lee assures her love, "You didn't know. No one is mad at _you_. It's not your fault."

"Of course," Azula smoothly lies, tapping one finger on the glass countertop, "but I was the one who had to say it in front of the entire United Republic."

"Please stay for dinner," desperately interjects Ty Lee's mother, batting her fake eyelashes and warmly smiling.

Azula sighs. She supposes she might as well cave in; she will not be around for much longer.

[X]

After a dinner consisting solely of mildly uncomfortable small talk, Azula stands on the front steps of the boutique with Ty Lee. The cold night air makes her hair billow and the neon lights stain her and her girlfriend various colors.

For the first time, Azula declares, "I have to go to District 2 for a while. You are coming with me."

Ty Lee furrows her brow. "Why?"

"Because I said I would never leave you alone, and I might have caused a full blown uprising in District 8, and so you might be kidnapped and tortured to get to me," Azula says before she can stop herself.

Ty Lee's eyes widen. The red light from across the street flashes in the night and hues her horrified expression the shade of blood. "I do need a vacation. I'll get to packing."

"I will be packing for you, because I know that you won't pack appropriately for a place that's half swamp and half filthy city," Azula says, trying to be lighthearted.

"I'll wear dark clothes to hide the dirt!" she chirps.

[X]

After reaching shore, Asami and Korra made it to town just in time to see the peacekeepers entering in force. They brought a thousand kinds of equipment that Korra did not recognize, and made speeches about curfews, new rules and the imminent construction of a detention center.

They tried to convince the public that the military invasion is for their own good.

Then they blew up an entire factory.

In the late evening, Korra sits on the rug while Asami makes tea. They barricaded themselves in their house as if they could hide from the reality outside.

"Does the curfew apply to us _strictly_?" Korra inquires, trying not to look out of the window.

"I'm pretty sure it applies to us double strictly." Asami laughs mirthlessly.

"But they can't kill us," Korra protests. "We're going to be killed on TV in a few months."

Asami wants to explain that there are worse things than death, but she does not have the heart. Instead, she asks, "Why do you need to get out of the house so much?"

"Because the Capitol blew up an entire building and a lot of people died and I need to go talk to Hama because she probably knows what's going on!" Korra shouts, digging her fingers into the carpet. Asami keeps her eyes on the teapot.

"What's going on is that we're not the most well-behaved district anymore," Asami says, although it is just an educated guess. "We used to be really close to the Capitol and now we're not."

"So they blew up a _building_ with _people in it_?" Korra screams, spinning around.

The tea kettle whistles and Asami seizes the opportunity to end the conversation.

[X]

In the Capitol, Azula walks home from Ty Lee's house; she likes this section of the Capitol and knows it like the back of her hand.

When she walks into the Presidential Palace, she hears a horrific shattering sound that echoes through the entire mansion. She lights up her hands and runs towards the series of crashes that follow the first smash.

She sees Mai holding a broken chair, doused in alcohol from the liquor cabinet she just broke in a fit of emotion. Azula thinks that perhaps Mai does not handle feelings well, judging by the broken glass and slick, pungent floor.

Mai and Azula wordlessly lock eyes.

Finally, Mai speaks.

"I've decided to quit drinking," she says, dropping the chair onto the mess.

Azula means to laugh but can only manage a small smile.

"I'm sorry about this," Azula says. "I know it affects y—"

"Shut up," Mai snaps, startling Azula into doing so. "You know _nothing_ and you never will, because you don't know or care about any of the people that you're about to send to their deaths."

"It isn't my choice."

"You make the games. It doesn't matter that you were taken by surprise by the Quell; you _chose_ to engineer the nightmare you will put my only friends through."

"I declined the position once and you saw what happened."

Mai knows that is true, but she does not apologize for her accusations.

"Your sister lived," she says. "That's more than most people got. That's more than I got. But they had a chance; no one does this time. _You_ fucked up and now he's casting a very wide net."

Azula feels a bitter rage when she hears the insinuation that she brought this on herself. She _did not_.

"You sent them the poison," she argues.

Mai sighs and rolls her shoulders back.

"This is going nowhere. We're both terrible people with a lot of blood on our hands." Mai looks at her palms and sees that her statement is literal. She sits down on one of the dining room chairs. "Asami is going to die anyway. Everyone in there will have been friends for years. She and Korra will be the first to go."

"Not exactly." Azula sits down. The distance between them is abnormal due to the broken chair in the middle. "You can't tell anyone, but I am going to volunteer. I already spoke to my father about it and he said she wouldn't get hurt."

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life." says Mai. "Don't do it. I don't care if he's in on the scam. That won't matter the moment you do something unpredictable in the Arena, and the odds of your plan going seamlessly aren't exactly in your favor."

"I am risking my life no matter what. I don't have a lot of friends in there either, as you so eloquently pointed out."

"You aren't risking your life and you know it. I'm sure you'll rig the arena so that you're certain to win—just fill it with metal and water, maybe. Your expression tells me that I'm spot on with that. Secondly, the person who is supposed to win always wins, except last year. And he can't physically touch you in there, and he may have promised not to harm your sister—and that would be stupid when she's the Capitol's darling, despite the fact that you completely shouldn't trust that promise—but he said nothing about your girlfriend."

"You think I care what happens to her?"

"Yes, yes, I do. This is a really bad situation and a lot of people are going to do stupid things to try to save themselves or the people they love, but you are by far the worst. I destroyed a liquor cabinet. You might destroy a country."

"I like you better when you're drunk."

"I like you better when I'm drunk. Don't do it. Let him put Asami in there, and use your powers as gamemaker to make sure she wins. I'm sure that was the original plan."

"Maybe I am not going in there to protect her. Maybe I am going in there because I have my own plan that is much better than this alleged original."

"What side are you on?"

"To be honest, I don't know yet, and I doubt I will until the point of no return. I have to get ready. I am going to District 2 for a few weeks and need to pack. It's basically camping in such a disgusting place."

Sarcastically, Mai says, "A true Capitol girl through and through. Have fun."

"I will."

[X]

Azula gets off of the train and a man she does not recognize greets her. He wears a very well-kept peacekeeper uniform with honorary badges on the lapel.

"Who are you exactly?" Azula demands, momentarily setting down her luggage. She swiftly picks it back up again when he does not give her an immediate reply. "Never mind. I just remembered that I don't care."

She grabs Ty Lee by the wrist, walking out of the train station and into District 2. Azula forgot how much smoke the factories made; the place has more smog than the Capitol at rush hour. It smells like burning wood, she realizes as she gets closer to the grim grey buildings.

As soon as they enter the city square, the first thing Azula notices is how much has changed. One addition stands out above all else, above the machine gun turrets on innocent rooftops, above the patrolling officers, above the newfound terror in everyone's eyes.

Gallows.

For some reason, Azula doubts they are unused.

"Why is that building so burnt?" Ty Lee asks, nudging Azula with her elbow.

Azula assumes arson.

"Don't look, Ty Lee," whispers the president's daughter.

She hurries to the Victor's Village, because she does not like the looks of this.

[X]

The moment Azula walks into Asami and Korra's house, she drops a silver briefcase down on their table. It lands with a thud that makes both women jump. They already were rattled because of the previous day, and Azula's arrival does not help.

"Study these," orders Azula, leaving the newlyweds quite confused. "They're the past Games. At least, the ones with living victors."

"I don't study," Korra confidently says, cracking her knuckles.

"Then you will die," Azula snarls. Korra frowns and opens the briefcase. "Good. I will be training you both for the next two months. I will have to return to the Capitol upon occasion, as my work is very demanding. You both were terrible in your Games, and just got lucky. These are talented killers you are dealing with, not pathetic children. Do you accept my generous offer?"

Korra replies, "I don't really like you that much, and I'm the Avatar so I have it all under control. Do you know what I mean?"

Azula meets her gaze and softly says, "I know that this home is a tinderbox and I will drug you, chain you to a table in your sleep and burn it to the ground with you in it if you speak to me that way again."

And Korra primly replies, "We accept your generous offer."

Asami smiles and frantically nods.

[X]

Ty Lee kicks her suitcase. She stubs her toe and jumps up and down, hissing from the pain. Azula watches from the other side of the room, leaning against the cold window.

"I _didn't_ pack well for this place. You were so right," Ty Lee whines. Azula shrugs.

"Your wardrobe doesn't concern me at the moment. It never does, but especially not right now. I think this is war. This district didn't do anything to defy the Capitol and they were essentially attacked and occupied. I saw footage of the uprising in 8. It was impossible for me to sympathize with either side, but there aren't rebels in masks rioting here," Azula stiffly says, crossing her arms.

Ty Lee blanches and slowly sits down on the bed. "I don't know."

Azula looks right through her girlfriend.

She coldly says, "In 8 they turned the destroyed factory into a detention facility. I imagine people will start disappearing here soon. Not openly dying, not openly arrested. Just vanishing."

Ty Lee's stomach does a backflip. "That's scary but we're Capitol citizens and safe."

"We are responsible for this," Azula impassively says. "I don't think you have wrapped your head around that yet."

"I haven't," Ty Lee earnestly replies. "I also wish we stayed in the _Capitol_ because this house is so gross."

"This is the house I grew up in," says Azula.

Ty Lee blushes as pink as her clothes. "Oh. By gross I mean really nice."

"It's fine." Azula waves a hand dismissively. "I was never happy here, and my bedroom at _home_ is bigger than this entire house. If it were up to me, I would have stayed there and lived happily ever after like they promised. But we went back on that promise and now we're at war and I think you should be alarmed by this."

"But we're safe, right?" whispers Ty Lee.

"No. We aren't, and we never were."

[X]

Hama takes Azula aside when she wakes up the next morning. They go to her house without saying a word, and Hama leads her up several sets of stairs.

As soon as they are isolated and surrounded by dust, "I'd like to speak to you about something illegal," says Hama.

"Which is why we are hiding in this attic, I imagine?" Azula dryly asks.

"Yes." Hama nods once. "I think the Quell choice was a mistake on the part of President Shinohai; we have all of the power now."

"I know. That's why I'm going to volunteer."

Hama is stunned speechless. She does not remember the last time she was at a total loss for words, or so shocked.

This might work out even better than she and the rebels thought.


	15. Interlude 2: Azula

**_A/N:_** _Surprise! It's Azula's interlude. This one was meant to go last, but I wrote it on a plane ride and really want to share it. I had so much fun writing this, so I hope you have fun reading it. Thanks for sticking with the story this far and I hope you're enjoying the show._

* * *

 **Interlude Two  
The 70** **th** **Annual Harmony Games**

 _Looks like a girl, but she's a flame  
So bright, she can burn your eyes  
Better look the other way  
You can try but you'll never forget her name  
She's on top of the world, hottest of the hottest girls  
"_ _Girl on Fire" — Alicia Keys_

* * *

After the Reaping, Azula sits alone in the Justice Building.

She does not imagine anyone will want to visit her, but little Asami bursts through the door. Her emerald eyes brim with tears as she runs up and presses something metal into Azula's hand.

Azula holds it up and sees the old golden phoenix pin.

"This is for you. Mom gave it to me a long time ago," Asami says, clasping her hands and stiffening her upper lip.

Silently, Azula examines the bird in her hands and nods at her little sister.

"You know I am going to win, right?" remarks Azula with a cocked eyebrow.

Asami just nods. She does not look like she fully believes that assertion.

The little girl throws her arms around her sister and Azula lets herself hug Asami back.

[X]

On the train, Azula gazes out of the window at the blur of overgrown ruins and untamed wilderness. The space between the districts is surprisingly expansive. Azula always imagined that the world was smaller than it is.

The Reaping plays on the television across the car. Kunik watches it intently, while Azula only glances at it from afar. Including herself, four relatives of victors are competing this year. She supposes it is planned on the Capitol's part.

But that does not matter, even Azula needs to face the loved ones of those she killed for the rest of her life as a victor.

"Sad about the kid in 9," comments Kunik and Azula looks at him for the first time all day.

"The twelve-year-old?" Azula inquires. The little one looked like she could be Azula's sister.

"No. The boy. Mai Shinohai volunteered for him way back then," Kunik says and Azula recalls. It created quite a stir, but one that died out quickly.

"Of course," says Azula. "I thought she was crazy for exactly this reason."

"You wouldn't volunteer for Asami?" Kunik inquires.

Azula stands up and leaves. Yes, she would do that. Fortunately, she will never have to make that kind of choice. She will win and Asami will never be Reaped—Hiroshi Sato is too beloved by the Capitol.

She hopes so, at least.

[X]

When the train arrives at the Capitol, Azula regally waves at the crowd from the window. They adore her already. Nothing has ever made Azula feel better. Her time of glory has come at last.

She sees Hama's pursed lips out of the corner of her eye.

Azula would not kill Kunik. She may be driven, but she is not going to murder her own district partner unless they are the final two.

People would understand in that case.

[X]

Azula sits in front of the beautiful stylist by the name of Xia. She is of Water Tribe descent, looks trendy and has a perpetual smirk on her rouge lips.

"Everyone is already talking about you. I think you might be a fan favorite," Xia says and Azula's eyes gleam. "So, you need to be dynamic. You need to be the most thrilling thing that Capitol has ever seen. That's what they want, and it's what I want too."

Azula loves hearing that.

"What's your plan?" she asks eagerly yet calmly.

"I'm not sure yet. I need to know about _you_ ," Xia explains, locking eyes with her tribute.

"No one needs to know about me. They just need to know that I am going to win," Azula coldly replies, refusing to divulge any details about herself.

However, Xia will not take no for an answer.

"I'm going to show who you are, not just your element or district," Xia says, picking up a piece of shimmering scarlet fabric. She waits, looking away from Azula, until the tribute sighs and realizes this is her only way to get a decent costume.

"My mother got pregnant with me by accident, and I think she might have been forced. She was unwed and notoriously insane, and so no one ever became close to me. She thought I had too much of my father in me and so I had to raise myself. I trained like a career because I wanted to enter the Games and escape my pathetic existence. I am more than what I am… what I _was_ ," Azula says.

She has never discussed her story, feelings or anything that made her seem human. It feels very strange to explain why she volunteered.

"Yes?" Xia does not seem to think that was enough.

"My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right of course, but it still hurt. Maybe you can give me fangs like Hyunara," Azula says sharply. Xia sees that she has pushed this prickly girl too far and reels it in.

Xia tries to think without asking Azula much more. A spider-fly buzzes into the room and Azula burns it with...

"Was that _blue_ fire?" Xia asks, and Azula is quite used to the question so she just nods and shrugs. At that, Xia's eyes light up. "I have an idea."

[X]

When Azula reaches the chariot, she sees Kunik dressed in a toga of tightly woven fishing ropes. It seems more intricate than the flowing blue gown Azula wears, but it will not be that way for long. Azula quite likes Xia's idea.

"You look like waves," remarks Kunik, puzzled by the outfit. Azula is the _fire_ tribute.

"You'll be surprised," Azula purrs, smirking faintly. "Just wait."

Azula steps up onto the chariot and Kunik hastily follows, standing firmly beside her. She clutches the smooth metal with both hands.

They begin to move.

She mentally counts the seconds before brushing her hand over the fabric and lighting it ablaze. Seizing control of the fire, she makes it burn bright cerulean.

The crowd can look only at her.

She waits until she is in sufficient view and blows a kiss to the crowd.

They love her like no one else ever has. Azula continues playing to the audience until she sees the man standing on the balcony of the Royal Plaza. She falters and forgets herself.

Of course Azula has seen Ozai before—his portrait adorns schoolrooms and he speaks frequently on mandatory television. But he was never _real_ until this moment.

He is alive, he is her father, and he is looking directly at her.

Their worlds contract at the moment of realization, but they quickly collect themselves.

Azula lets the fire burn brighter and waves at the grandstands.

[X]

"They loved you," Kunik excitedly comments as Hama, Jeong Jeong, and their escort Aya lead their tributes to the elevator.

"I… of course they did. Who doesn't?" Azula tilts her chin up and away from him. They have no need to be friendly with each other.

When the quartet reaches the penultimate floor, they see the stunning suite that they will be living in. The Victor's Village has nothing on this.

Azula finds her bedroom and lies down on the soft bed.

She feels like she is in a dream.

[X]

Ozai has two new daughters. One is an infant and the other is about to enter the Harmony Games. They both are trying at the moment.

The person who is supposed to win wins. Zhao Shirei's plan for the final three as legacy tributes was brilliant. Azula, however, makes that _four_. She also makes the obvious victor into a complicated decision.

Does he save the boy or his own child?

He supposes he must watch and see. Ozai knows nothing about this girl, save for the fact that everyone in the Capitol adores her after knowing her for only two days.

They already call her the Girl on Fire.

They want her to win, but if he were an honest man he would let her go up in smoke.

[X]

In the District 2 suite, Azula irately snarls, "The Girl on Fire is not allowed to _firebend_?"

Jeong Jeong is not scared of her. He seems to be the only one, and it infuriates Azula. His calmness at the moment frustrates Azula to no end.

"You're too talented at it. Don't show your tiles to the competition right away. Wait. Take them by surprise," he says, and Azula hates that he has a good point.

"Fine, I'll…" Azula does not know what to expect from training. She just knows that she needs to be prepared, because she _will_ win the 70th Annual Harmony Games.

She was born to do it.

[X]

On the first day of training, Azula says nothing and carefully studies from every instructor. Today she intends to soak up the skills. She focuses on understanding all she can about survival and combat while avoiding showing any personality.

She will not let the other tributes read her easily.

The next day she examines her competitors. She stays on the fringes, but cannot forever because one of them approaches her. Shoji, the son of Unalaq and tribute from District 3. Azula did not expect him to come up to her of everyone here. He already fell into a group of careers within seconds. He does not need her, and she does not need him.

"Hi," he says, and Azula does not reply. "I thought I'd introduce myself because I'm one of the four legacy tributes."

Azula shrugs. "I am very uninterested in calling myself a legacy tribute. I want to create my own legacy. Isn't that what the Games are for?"

"You've already started. You're the Girl on Fire," he says. "I saw you light your own dress but you haven't bent for two days."

He was right behind her during the parade. Of course. Azula did not think about that.

"I'm saving my fire for the arena," Azula says. He laughs, even though it is not really a joke.

"I'll see you around, Girl on Fire," says Shoji.

Azula hopes otherwise.

[X]

Azula could not possibly hate her mentor more. She wants to go in there and destroy everyone in her path in a bloody blaze of fire. He seems to think that is a terrible idea. She is hard on herself. He thinks that is a waste of time.

Their training sessions go poorly, even if he does teach Azula a few techniques and gives her a few words of boring advice.

Azula goes through three nearly flawless motions before her knee buckles under her. She almost falls to the metal floor.

"Almost," he says, and she glares.

"Almost isn't good enough. I am the Girl on Fire, Victor of the 70th Harmony Games and _almost_ isn't good enough," Azula articulately enunciates, but he just shrugs. "It never has been and it never will be, Games or not."

"You're losing focus," he calmly says.

"Oh? I'm losing focus?" Azula turns to face him and crosses her arms. "Could someone losing focus do this?"

She does it in a flicker of a second.

Lightning crashes against one of the discarded targets.

He had no idea she could do that.

[X]

One day after her electric outburst, Azula sits in a waiting room with all seventeen other tributes. She keeps wiping her sweaty palms on her uniform pants.

Azula knows this is vital, far more important than her time spent with tributes. The audience is Azula's alliance, and, fortunately, she can garner their favor without worrying about knives in her back.

Trust is for fools. Azula has watched enough of the Harmony Games to know that.

After Kunik returns, shaking slightly, Azula hears her name. It sounds fuzzy, as if she is underwater. She rises, straightens her posture and confidently strides through the automatic doors.

The gamemakers watch her intently as she enters. Everyone has since the moment she volunteered. They have seen her training, but they have not seen what she can do. She imagines they have been unimpressed.

Azula turns to them and nods once.

She lets them wait for a few moments, then touches two fingers together and conjures a stream of lightning that dances on her fingertips for a few seconds before she releases it. The bolt incinerates a target.

The static in the air settles and she nods at them again.

"Thank you," Azula says, and she exits without looking back.

[X]

"I bent lightning. It impressed _you_ ," Azula says to Jeong Jeong. "I doubt they have ever seen that before."

Jeong Jeong nods, which is high praise from him and the first truly positive response Azula has received from her mentor.

She watches the screen with her fingernails dug into the sofa cushions. Kunik is out of her sight, along with Hama.

They are rated out of ten, presumably for the original ten districts.

District 1 always does well and this year is no different. District 2 has done poorly since the Quarter Quell. The career school shut down the following year and volunteers ceased to exist. No one ever _wanted_ to be in the Harmony Games after that, nor were they prepared.

Kunik gets a mention of being a legacy tribute, Hama's low score is mentioned, and he receives a five. Victors have gotten less than that, but Azula feels at least _some_ relief; she probably will not have to kill him.

Azula's mother was given a two. She could not fight, but she was clever and a trained healer. Azula does not follow in her footsteps; she is given a ten.

"What did you do?" asks Kunik in awe, and Azula supposes he does not eavesdrop often.

"Why would I tell you?" Azula replied. She has no need to tell him about her lightning, even though Jeong Jeong makes a disapproving sound.

"I stabbed stuff with a sword," Kunik says, smiling. Azula does not know why he seems proud of that.

Azula takes note of the boy who approached her, Shoji. He gets a nine. The other tributes are given predictable odds. Even Tomo Ukano does like any tribute from 9, and the twelve-year-old does even worse than him.

She can see a narrative forming. The rigged work of the Capitol is remarkably transparent to her.

[X]

On the night of interviews, Xia designs a gorgeous dress for Azula. She has to say she likes a perfect manicure and a glimmering gown, and it is a shame she cannot take both with her into the arena.

"Stylists are more important than designers these days," says Xia. "We're on the front lines of fashion, after all. And thanks to you I already landed an interview in _Capitol Couture_."

Azula smirks. "When I win you can style me for my two page spread."

"You're wearing the same fabric. Light it right at the end of the interview," says Xia.

Azula hates taking orders, but she agrees.

[X]

"Aaaaand from District 2," Varrick loudly drawls, "the very affectionately named Girl on Fire."

Azula drifts into the dreamlike trance caused by applause. She sits down as soon as it simmers to silence.

Her angle is already decided and she knows what to say. She needs to mention her longing for a father and evoke a small amount of pity before displaying confidence. She needs to look like a disadvantaged but headstrong girl from the districts who desperately wants what the Capitol gives. She needs to spin around while on fire.

"Good evening, Varrick," Azula purrs. She brushes her hair behind her ear, her sharp nails momentarily flashing in the spotlight.

"So, let's cut to the chase, doll, why'd you volunteer?" He smiles.

Azula softly and deliberately sighs. Her eyes meet the light. She is already winning.

"I always wanted to since I was a little girl. It might be my destiny," says Azula, crossing her legs and nodding her head.

"For your mom?" he asks.

Azula forces her bitterness aside. She must remain composed, cold and charismatic at all costs.

"For my father, actually. I never knew him, but my mother always said I have his eyes." They meet the lights once more, very intentionally. "I assure you that he is watching this and I just want him to be proud of me."

Azula rehearsed that as a lie, but she wonders if there is some truth to it. The crowd loves it either way.

Varrick smiles again, flashing his pearly white teeth.

"That is _so_ sweet. If he's watching, what would you tell him?" Varrick asks.

 _If_. The Harmony Games are mandatory viewing, but Azula ignores that.

She finds the camera lens and gently faces it while keeping her feet pointed at Varrick.

"I would tell him that if he thought I never wanted to know him, he was wrong. I used to wish he would come and get me and take me to live with him. I really imagined him living in something like a palace, because what little girl doesn't want to be a princess?" Azula flashes a cute smile, less knowing, less provocative. This is her best gambit. "I know only what my mother told me about him, and I think we have a lot in common. For example, we both always get what we want, and I want to win."

Azula was not sure how that would go over with the audience, but they are too taken with her talk of a little girl dreaming of palaces and a father to realize the slight bitterness in her final sentence.

Azula can do no wrong in the eyes of the Capitol, she thinks. She _blinks_ and they will lap it up.

"Anybody else get goosebumps from that?" Varrick asks. The response is a blur of actual words and Azula cannot make any of them out. "The pin on your dress. Did your mom give you that?"

"My sister did. It's a phoenix, and so I think it is a good token for me. I was born in an unfortunate way under unfortunate circumstances. I lit on fire when I entered the Games and I will be reborn from it as a victor. I have always admired the generosity of the Capitol. Maybe I can move here after I win," Azula says, flashing a smile at the crowd. "Everyone is a bit intimidatingly attractive, though. I won't be the prettiest girl in town anymore."

"Speaking of pretty girls and phoenixes, your dress was a hit. It was fabulous. That fire, wow, that fire," says Varrick.

"I am actually wearing it right now," Azula says.

The crowd's eyes glisten with anticipation.

Azula stands, brushes her flaming fingers against azure fabric and her clothes burn bright blue. She captivates the United Republic as she spins and spins.

The pin on her bodice glints in the light as she slows and the fire dies.

It is fitting. She is a phoenix.

[X]

Azula sits on her bed on what might be the last night of her life. She hates pills and what they did to people around her, but she takes them in order to sleep.

She needs energy for the Harmony Games.

Azula falls asleep on top of her covers with her arms spread out like wings.

* * *

In the morning, Azula goes through the motions like a blur. Xia fastens her pin to her sleeve, a meaningless woman injects her with a tracker, she closes her eyes and breathes until she stands on a platform with the symbol for fire.

She glances around at the arena.

It is a sea of evergreen trees, creating an emerald labyrinth. The focal point is a spectacular waterfall on the near horizon. This arena is small; Azula can tell. If it were larger, they would not have so many trees, and the artificial sky looks compacted, similar to the final days of the Harmony Games when the dwindling tributes must be pushed together.

This place might be green, brown and grey, but it looks nothing like the swamps of District 2. It is beautiful.

The Sanctuary Square is dead center, as always, but Azula does not even bother looking at what supplies are inside of it. She has little interest in risking her neck when she can bend lightning and garner sponsors. She sees other tributes eyeing it but she pays them no mind.

After a painfully long countdown, a cannon fires and Azula runs into the trees behind her. She zigzags and keeps moving for as long as she can before she sinks to the ground behind a thick trunk. When the tree brushes against her, she realizes it is made of metal.

That is… unusual, to say the least.

She hopes the other tributes will overlook her for this one night. Azula does not have a plan for her narrative yet. She had a few in mind, but they all seem silly and moot now that she is in the arena. In order to succeed, she needs time to connive.

Azula remains as still as a statue until the anthem plays and the sky lights up. It starts with a boy from District 4, then flashes both tributes from 6 and one tribute from 7.

It seems to be a very average first day. Azula doubts anyone has died in the woods yet.

She lies down and tries to think.

What would the Capitol want? What do they crave from the Girl on Fire?

Azula brushes these thoughts aside and thinks about water. She stands, stretches, and sneaks through the dark forest.

A plume of smoke rises just ahead of her. Someone has been dumb enough to light a fire, and in the middle of the night on top of that.

Azula climbs up on a boulder and looks down at the girl. She is from 7. Azula cannot remember if she is fire or air, but it does not matter. She conjures lightning and it crashes at almost the same time as the cannon. The girl's campfire flares just as she dies; she must be the fire tribute. Azula stifles the coals and quickly learns that that kill must have bored people; the metal trees shoot lines of fire.

She breaks out into a sweat from the heat as she jumps down and grabs the tribute's bag of supplies. Then, she races through the flames.

The blaze grows in intensity, forming walls around her. No wonder the trees are fake; they shoot out _traps_. She keeps collected and uses her bending to break through every blockade.

She escapes the trap with finesse and a display of her talent.

Now she just needs to find water.

[X]

Azula slowly steps through the forest as the sun rises. She listens and hears a stream; there must be one close by. In the 7 girl's bag she found a bottle for water, packets to clean it and a very useless knife.

She at last sees the water, but she hears voices too. Shoji, his district partner, along with both tributes from 1 and another tribute from 5. Two girls, three boys.

Azula wonders if she could take them. No, the gamemakers would not allow it; they would not let her slaughter the career pack so soon. She walks further down through the trees and finds that the stream ends before she could be out of sight.

She throws the stupid bag from the 7 girl at a tree and stalks off into the heart of the forest.

As Azula sits down and tries to think. Her mouth is so dry that she cannot swallow properly and it makes her feel like she is suffocating every five seconds. _Someone_ wises up and she snatches a silver package. She opens it and finds water.

They could have done this earlier.

She drinks enough of it to not be choking and then goes to find a trap.

Azula needs to draw attention to herself, and that is not happening if she sits around alone in the forest.

Again, she begins to run.

[X]

Azula's plan goes off without a hitch. As soon as she is far away from the careers and close to the waterfall, she runs into a small clearing. As soon as she enters it, she twists her foot on the grass. Metal walls groan as they rise from the ground and begin to close in around her.

She runs up the side of one of them and falls down. That was an accident, but it gives her a genius idea. She has to build tension, make people bite their nails.

Azula throws her next two escape attempts and lets the walls close in. She pretends to be suppressing tears, shows slight vulnerability before displaying a burst of strength when she runs up the wall just in time and throws herself over the side with her bending.

Dramatically, Azula collapses on her knees and looks towards the horizon.

[X]

Azula realizes how very alone she is while she wanders through the woods. Not just alone in _walking_ , but alone when it comes to the outside world. They will not cull her, certainly, but she is not the favorite of her mentors. That certainly will not help, no matter how much people want to help _her_.

On the other hand, she has not needed anything so far. She has been capable on her own and if she wished on a fake star for anything she desired she would probably have it. But Azula's _character_ does not beg. Neither does Azula herself, but she cares much more about the person she is showing the viewers.

They cannot digest someone who exists in more than two dimensions.

So Azula keeps herself simple.

She comes across a tribute from District 4. The girl received a high rating—Azula remembers it—and she has seen her waterbending. It should be a good fight.

Water versus fire. Azula could not think of a better scenario.

They lock eyes.

Azula lights up both of her hands. The waterbender holds up two distinct but rippling whips of her own element.

They dance around each other, striking here and there but not landing an attack. Azula breaks any tendrils of water coming her way with blasts of blue fire and the waterbender makes competent shields.

As the fight wears on, the water tribe freezes blades of ice and throws several that Azula dodges. Azula shields herself in bright blue flame, which throws the waterbender off for a vital moment. She purges her guard and the waterbender does not have time to react. Azula bursts like a supernova and scorches the skin of the girl.

The water tribute screams and falls to the ground, gasping from the immobilizing pain.

Azula looms over her, looks her in the eye and puts her out of her misery with a bolt of lightning.

 _Crash. Bang._

The waterbender has a bag of dehydrated food on her and nothing else.

Azula takes it and runs back into the woods.

[X]

Night falls and Azula rests on the bank of the stream. She fills her water bottle and stares up at the faces in the sky. Three have died today. The waterbender from 4 and both tributes from 8.

One is attributed to Shoji, one to herself and the other to Tomo Ukano.

The legacy tributes own this year's Games, just as the Capitol intended.

Azula crawls into her shelter of rocks and conceals herself with branches before falling asleep.

[X]

Azula frantically wakes to rising water. She tries to sit up and smashes her head against the rock. It leaves her reeling for a moment before she recalls that she is about to drown. She cannot drown.

Azula tries to clear a path through the covering she made and strong hands grab both of her wrists, dragging her from her shelter.

She locks eyes with Shoji for a brief moment before she finds out just how deep the stream is. He holds her under the water that his district partner has seized total control of. The earth tribute from 1 has opened the ground and now Azula has discovered an abyss where a babbling brook once was.

Azula grasps upwards as she tries not to inhale water. Shoji pulls her up by the neck and she screams. She screams because it will hopefully draw other tributes, who hopefully will distract the career pack. It does not give her enough time to catch her breath before he shoves her beneath the water again.

She rises once more and screams again. Again. Again. Azula burns him and he releases her for a split second before he catches her again and this time wholly intends to drown the Girl on Fire for good.

He lets her go but rock begins to seal her in with steadily rising water. Her heart pounds as she tries to reach the surface and cannot.

Suddenly, she hears a yelp and a cannon. Different hands grab her and pull her from the water. Azula stands and catches her breath, seeing that the dead tribute is Shoji's district partner. The person who saved her is Tomo Ukano, and he is with his district partner and the other tribute from 5. The little girl hangs back as the two boys take the careers head on.

"Take the little girl," orders Azula's savior.

She grabs the girl by the wrist and bolts into the woods.

Azula never wants to see a body of water again.

[X]

Once Azula is far away from that fight and another cannon fires, she stands across from the little girl from 9 and decides to take her out humanely with a bolt of lightning. But as those eyes stare up at her, Azula lowers her two fingers and sighs; she cannot do this. She then clenches her fist out of self-loathing; it would be best to put the girl out of her misery before someone could kill her in a more painful way than lightning.

"Are you..." The girl's eyes glisten. "Are you going to kill me?"

Azula swallows.

"No," she admits. "No. I'm not. You can... travel with me for a little while."

She should not have said that part. Why did she say that part?

"Thank you," whispers the girl.

Azula knows she will live to regret this. Only one of them can make it out of this arena.

[X]

"I have this," Azula says, holding up the silver pack of dehydrated food. "Whatever your name is."

"I'm Kiyi and you're Azula," the child bluntly chirps, meeting Azula's gaze. The lack of fear is amusing and endearing.

"You know that?" asks Azula, although she expected it. Humility will make her more appetizing.

"You're kind of famous, I guess," says the little girl and Azula does not protest.

Azula cooks the food in a makeshift bowl of her jacket using the fire from the palm of her hand.

Kiyi takes a few small bites. Azula is starving, but she gives the kid a little over half. Kiyi looks like she is a skeleton and Azula knows the kid will need more energy to avoid weighing her down.

As soon as she and Kiyi start eating, a silver parachute falls from the sky. Azula thought she would have lost interest by adopting an ally, but she does not. She opens it to find water for both of them and a salve for the wound on her head. Along with the bottle is a package with a syringe and vial of liquid. It is a pain killer.

Azula imagines that the entire United Republic has heard her wincing under her breath, but she decides not to use it. She looks weak by helping Kiyi and cannot afford to look weaker by taking pain meds. She does use the medicine, however.

Maybe the alliance shows necessary vulnerability. Azula _does_ know that the audience will want to protect the child, and if Azula is that guardian, she could garner a lot of favor.

"I've never eaten this much before," remarks Kiyi and Azula tries not to think about it.

She knows that happens. She has been hated for never experiencing it.

Yet, it never affected her. Not until she saw someone who looks like her being so amazed by mushy noodles.

"You won't starve anymore," Azula says, knowing that Kiyi's life will end in this arena.

It is the truth.

"I like your pin," says Kiyi. "It's pretty."

"I got it from my sister. She looks a bit like you," Azula says. "She's my half-sister, actually, but that doesn't matter much. Different fathers or not, she is mine to torture and mine to protect. And I guess she feels the same way about me because she gave her last memory of her mother to me. Her name is Asami and she's eleven."

Azula is saying it for the audience, but Kiyi might as well know. It will not hurt anyone.

"She's lucky. I don't have anybody really so I'd love a big sister," Kiyi says.

"Parents?" Azula wishes she were more eloquent than that one word.

"They died in an accident. I had a big brother but he died a few years ago. It's just me, which is why I'm probably really good at these Games. I'm just me in here too," Kiyi explains. Azula does not like how that makes her skin feel.

"I don't have parents either. My mother died three years ago and my father left before I was born. I also have just been me, except for Asami," Azula says.

"I watched your interview. You said maybe your dad was watching."

"I know he is. He lives in the Capitol," Azula says.

Kiyi asks no more.

[X]

Two people died yesterday. The tribute from 3 Azula saw, but Tomo's ally from 5 must have been the second cannon. They have dwindled down to a scarce few.

Both tributes from District 1, Azula, Kunik, Shoji, the career from 5, Kiyi and Tomo are still alive. That might be enough of a buffer for Azula and Kiyi to scrape by for another day. The careers will break apart any moment now and that should be a decent distraction.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" Kiyi inquires and Azula squints.

"Maybe." She truly does not know. "I try to focus on my own life and not a future one."

"What would you want to come back as?" Kiyi asks.

"I guess…" Azula tries to think about her persona. "A dragon or some breed of lion."

Those are accurate, to tell the truth.

"I'd want to be a bird," Kiyi says.

"A bird?" Azula cocks an eyebrow.

"They just seem so free and happy and can go wherever they want."

Azula shrugs. "So can dragons and lions."

Kiyi laughs.

[X]

Azula comes across the tribute from 5 and grabs Kiyi to hold her back. They hide in the cover of the branches and shadows, watching the boy sitting up in a tree. A metal tree, Azula realizes.

"Distract him," Azula whispers to the little girl.

Kiyi steps out into the open. Azula runs around to the side and as the boy from 5 calls out to Kiyi, she strikes the trunk of the tree with a bolt of lightning. He falls and hits the ground, but a cannon does not fire.

He rolls over and tries to push himself up, grabbing at the kid.

Kiyi kicks him in the face. Azula grabs him and breaks his neck.

 _Bang_.

"We're a good team," Kiyi says, beaming.

"But we can't travel together forever," Azula says. "There aren't many tributes left now. I intend to win and I can't…"

"You can't kill me," Kiyi says softly.

"Don't…" Azula stares at the ground. "I guess I can't. So don't make me do it."

"I hope you win," Kiyi says.

"I..." Azula would love to say that she wants Kiyi to win, but that would destroy her character. Azula is supposed to be ruthless and appeal to the desires of the Capitol, to make them feel good about themselves.

Does the _narrative_ matter more than Azula's conflicted feelings? Maybe.

She just wishes this little girl could go home, and not in a coffin.

[X]

"What flower would you be?" Kiyi asks as they eat lunch.

"What _flower_ would I be?" Azula replies with a quizzical expression.

"Yeah. I'd be a sunflower. They don't really grow in 9, but the Justice Building has them in its gardens. Some of them are taller than _me_ , and they're strong and bright," Kiyi says.

"You have an essay on every possible thing you could be, don't you?" Azula smirks.

"Yeah," Kiyi replies and Azula suddenly realizes what that means.

That the little girl would like to be anything but herself. Maybe Azula can relate to that.

"If I had to be a flower I would be…" Azula stares at her dirty hands for a few moments. She is not a _flower_ person.

"You'd be a rose," Kiyi interjects. "They're beautiful but have thorns."

"How poetic." Azula accepts it. Why not?

"I was gonna say prairie-fire because you're the Girl on Fire, but prairie-fire is _everywhere_ ," Kiyi says, as if further explanation is necessary. Azula does not know what prairie-fire is, to tell the truth, but she supposes it is common in District 9. "What's your favorite color?"

"Gold," Azula says and Kiyi looks rightfully startled to receive such a fast answer. "People think blue, pretty often, but that isn't my favorite. I like gold."

"I like red," Kiyi says.

"It's a nice color," Azula replies. "It is past my turn to ask a question. Why did Tomo Ukano want me to save you so much?"

"He promised somebody he loved that he'd save me if he couldn't save himself." Kiyi finishes her food.

Before Azula can respond or Kiyi can ask another question, a growling noise comes from the trees. Azula jumps up, grabbing her bag in one hand and Kiyi in the other. The sound intensifies and the branches of the trees quiver and billow.

"Start running," Azula orders, dashing as fast as she can away from the sound of a stampede.

She does not know what is chasing her, and she does not care to find out. The kid starts to lag behind, slipping through her fingers. Azula grabs her and throws her over her shoulder, because, while she knows they both cannot go to the end, she is not letting her ally get eaten alive.

They reach the edge of the arena. _Damn, damn, damn._

Azula turns to the left and starts to run that way. She hears the steps of the creatures pursuing her thin, but they do not stop their pursuit. Azula dares to glance behind her and sees some breed of lion. She is just grateful they did not send the _dragons_.

She keeps running and then takes a dive for the center of the forest. Azula zigzags through like she did on her first day, and the animals stop. For a few minutes longer, Azula keeps running, just in case.

When she knows the mutts are gone, she sets down Kiyi and slumps on the ground.

"That could have been bad," Azula whispers.

"Do you still want to be some kind of lion?" Kiyi smiles.

Azula cannot believe the child is laughing at a time like this.

[X]

A day passes with only one death; it is the tribute Azula and Kiyi slew.

Bad things are about to happen, no matter how likeable Azula is. The Harmony Games cannot get _boring_.

That is why she is unsurprised to cross paths with the fire tribute from District 1. Azula runs at him without hesitation, launching into a battle of fire versus fire.

Blue and red collide, scorching the sky and narrowly avoiding burning each other at every turn. Azula throws punches and he kicks. The heat from the fight feels like Azula just walked into an oven. She sees a flaw in his block right before she stops fighting.

She hears Kiyi scream and turns around, the District 1 tribute escaping into the forest.

It is Kunik. He just drove a sword through the little girl's stomach.

Azula knees her district partner in the gut as Kiyi falls to the ground. She grabs the sword from his hands and with one harsh move slashes his neck. His head topples from his shoulders and rolls across the grass as a cannon fires. She gazes at the gory scene for a moment, knowing that the people in District 2 will forever hate her. Killing your own district partner is more than a faux pas; it is traitorous.

"Azula…" whispers the girl he stabbed.

She kneels down beside Kiyi. They have known each other for only two days, but Kiyi's nonstop talking brought Azula too close to her. Azula _knows_ this child and that makes everything complicated.

"You're fine," Azula lies. "You're safe."

She sets her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"It hurts," whispers Kiyi.

"I know," Azula says, feeling her heart begin to pound. She can hear her own blood pulsing as she thinks of Asami. She cannot help but think of Asami.

She reaches into her pack and pulls out the painkiller. The dose might be enough to kill her,for which Azula certainly hopes.

With shaking hands, Azula draws the medicine from the bottle and injects it into her companion's neck. She pulls it out and sets the needle down on the blood ground.

"I'm tired," says the little girl, yawning like she is just going to take a nap.

"Just close your eyes. I'll…" Azula swallows. She tries to think of what her little sister would want in this situation, which only makes it harder. "I'll sing to you," she suggests, as Asami would certainly ask for that. "Or something. Would you like that?"

"Yes," hoarsely whispers the little one.

Azula brushes the girl's sweaty bangs from her face and softly sings, "Leaves from the vine / falling so slow / like fragile tiny shells drifting in the foam / little soldier boy come marching home…"

A cannon fires. It certainly does not wake up the little girl who fell asleep and drifted beyond the world of dreams. Azula sits down and stares at the grass, then at her bloody hands. She left marks of red on the little girl's skin, but the little girl is doused in her own blood anyway. It makes Azula sick.

Azula stares for what feels like an eternity. She has to _do something_. It cannot end like _this_. That would be disgusting. If someone just left Asami this way she would hunt them down and kill them, giving painkillers or not.

She does the only thing she can. Azula tears the pin from her sleeve and opens it with her trembling fingers. She fastens it to the little girl's lapel.

Azula always has something to say, but right now she does not know what.

"I hope you come back a bird," she whispers, and then, having done her part, she runs away as fast as she can.

She needs to focus on winning now.

No more distractions.

[X]

Azula only stops running when she realizes that she is going nowhere. She stands still for once, panting, and tries to think. Kiyi was a distraction and now Azula has no scheme.

She does not know how to win anymore.

Azula climbs one of the metal trees and hides in it.

She just hopes whatever the gamemakers send after her will not be able to reach her here.

[X]

What the gamemakers send after Azula is worse than a mutt. It is Shoji.

He looks up at her and does not try to strike, but Azula is certainly not climbing down.

"I want your help taking out the rest of the tributes," Shoji says and Azula narrows her eyes. "We go to the end together and fight it out there. Deal?"

Azula wraps her bang around her finger as she thinks. The offer sounds good, but Shoji tried to drown her mere days ago and she is not stupid enough to trust him.

"Why?" Azula demands.

"The career pack got broken up by mutts. You have the most kills. I want to face somebody worthy of myself in the end. The leftover losers sure aren't," Shoji replies.

Azula thinks it would be best to take the offer. It would enthuse the audience. But it also could result in her being water boarded again.

"Maybe," Azula says. "I will take out the other tributes, but you can understand why I don't trust you."

"I do, but alliances break and enemies change. That's the nature of the game," he replies.

Azula jumps down from the tree.

[X]

Shoji and Azula stop only to watch the face in the sky. Azula turns away when she sees Kiyi's and Shoji notices. He studies her for a moment as she collects herself.

"You're a dedicated player. Basically a career. Why did you ally with her?" he asks and Azula glares.

"What makes you think I allied with her?"

"Just a suspicion."

"It was a bad move. She distracted me," Azula icily says, refusing to show him an ounce of the strong emotions surging within her.

"Why?" he inquires.

Azula stares, glassy eyed, at the artificial sky. "None of your business. That is why."

Shoji nods and starts walking again.

[X]

Azula and Shoji receive two separate silver parachutes. There is a reason for it; they could very easily turn on each other and Azula imagines that they are a wildly popular alliance at the moment. So sudden, so dangerous, so unexpected.

"You're sure Nikita went this way?" Shoji asks, referring to District 1.

"Of course I am. I saw her run away from me."

"She escaped you?"

"Kunik was a more urgent matter." Pause. "I suppose the final three can still be legacy tributes."

"Huh?"

"I assume that was the intent. Did you not notice?"

"The Reapings are random."

Azula cackles. "You can't really be _that_ stupid. I will give the Capitol _some_ benefit of the doubt and say they _tend_ to be random, but they always have a story in mind. It tends to work out in the end. And you don't find the concept of legacy tributes at all odd?"

"I thought they just might enter our names a few extra times. I always thought it was all the times our family members didn't get picked."

"You are lucky you are strong, because you certainly are not smart." Azula smirks at his flushed face. She knows he cannot afford to kill her right now. "If I were in charge, I would never sacrifice a good show in the name of fairness."

Shoji tries to think about that but decides against it. He does not believe anyone sees the Games the way she does.

"Let's walk again," he says.

They both jump up.

[X]

Azula strikes Nikita with lightning but a cannon does not fire. She leaps down from her hiding place as Shoji examines the body.

"She's alive," he says and Azula sees the panicked eyes of the tribute.

Before Azula can give an order, Shoji pulls out a knife and slits Nikita's throat.

[X]

"It's not just a show," Shoji says as they walk away from Nikita, further into the endless evergreens. "It's a cultural icon… and our lives right now."

"You grew up rich. Haven't you ever watched Capitol television? They have reality shows for _cooking_ and _love triangles_. "Of course this is a show to them."

"But the Districts!" he argues, taking this far too personally.

"It's a show, but not like the ones I mentioned. It is an elaborate display of power engineered to reiterate valuable messages."

"I'm not part of a show." He is truly disturbed by it. In fact, he has never been more bothered by something in his life. "I'm better than that."

"You didn't notice the cameras everywhere?"

Shoji growls and then clears his throat. "I don't know, okay? I don't even get what you're talking about."

"You brought it up." Azula smirks, kisses his cheek, and speeds up to take point. Shoji grits his teeth. "We should probably split up for the moment. I want to find Tomo and Cho before they force a finale."

Shoji nods. If he begrudges the plan, he does not show it, because he darts into the woods.

Azula travels in the opposite direction towards the waterfall. When she reaches it, she hears ragged breathing. She creeps along the treeline until she sees Tomo dipping his burnt leg into the crystalline water.

"I can hear you," he says without turning around. Azula flinches.

She decides to emerge from the woods. A cannon fires before she can take him out.

The Capitol got their final three.

"I would…" Azula walks towards the sunlight. "Would you like to help me take down Shoji? He'll be here soon."

"Sit down," Tomo bluntly says. Azula clenches her jaw. He sighs. "When's the last time you just sat down and rested? Really."

Azula cannot remember. She has been running or plotting and then running again for a week. Slowly, she sits beside him, but keeps her distance from the water. It makes her nervous to even be near that element.

"Do you want to take my offer?" Azula asks.

"I said _rest_."

Azula scowls, but keeps her anger to herself. She _would_ rather face him than Shoji; it would be the grandest finale she can imagine.

"Shoji will be here any moment. I want to take you to the end with me instead of him. You saved my life and he tried to drown me. I think our finale would be far more exciting," Azula says, trying to catch his gaze. He does not look away from the waterfall.

"You act like a Queen, but you're just a girl with daddy issues. It's exhausting," he drawls. "Did you even notice that waterfall? It's pretty amazing."

"I will watch it on the reruns," Azula coldly replies and he sighs.

"What happened to the little girl?" Tomo inquires.

Azula falls silent. She then swallows and forces herself to speak.

"I couldn't save her, but I tried. That's the main reason I am giving you the chance to win. You saved my life and told me to take Kiyi, and I couldn't stop him from killing her. I failed and I'll give you an opportunity to succeed at my expense."

"If you want to pay me back, kill me before your new boyfriend gets here."

"Why?"

"You seem angsty enough about this little girl to do it mercifully. He's not that type."

"Why die, I mean. You have a one in three shot."

"I don't want to play the game outside of this arena. It's so much worse than this one that I guess I'm scared or something. I've seen…"

Azula takes a shallow breath. "My mother was a mess who died of a drug overdose. I am aware that some people are too weak to bear the guilt of winning."

"You have no idea, do you?" He at last looks at her, and with pity in his eyes. "She gets quieter and quieter every time I see her. I'm already living collateral and I'll be worse if I win. I'll have to deal with… a lot of things. It's not even just protecting myself. In fact, it's barely about protecting myself. Don't you have a sister?"

"Half-sister," Azula coldly corrects.

He asks, his voice softer now, "How far would you go to protect her?"

Azula cannot respond, because the waterfall erupts. Azula screams as a cannon fires and she collides with a tree. Her ribs feel like they have been crushed and when the water recedes she sees that she is bleeding profusely.

She clutches her hand to her bleeding abdomen. No, no. She has to win before this wound kills her.

"Shoji!" she shouts.

He emerges from the trees and sees her soaking, bleeding, and on her knees.

Azula will win. Azula knew she would win or die in glory. But this is not the situation she hoped for; she slumps against a metal tree and wipes the blood trickling from her mouth with the back of her hand. She can feel herself becoming colder and colder with each passing second. The outlook is grim.

Shoji is not unscathed from his fight with District 1.

"Are you okay?" her ally stammers, looking at Azula's sallow skin and blood soaked clothes. "Let me help you."

He tried to _drown_ her, and now he wants to _help her_.

The truth is, Shoji has thought a lot about what she was saying. He has realized that he might as well be on a reality show about _cooking_ or part of some sick power trip on the part of the Capitol. Shoji is not a player in a game; he is a _piece_ in a game.

It makes him confused.

Azula glances up at the weakling and sees that the foolish boy does not intend to do anything with the axe in his hands; he actually wants to help Azula instead of taking an easy victory. And Azula starts laughing, laughing hysterically as she coughs. This handsome and brawny career trained tribute just stands there, mute.

"Don't just start small talk in the final hour," Azula gasps through her uncontrollable fit of laughter. "This doesn't make for very good television. They want to see us eat each other alive, or maybe cry over the awful situation, not have sweet, tender moments. It's so anticlimactic. You've gotten this far... why stop?"

Her ally throws the dripping blade in his hand as hard as he can at the trees in utter rage and Azula slowly shakes her head in mocking disapproval.

"You're just giving up your weapon?" Azula asks and Shoji's answer is fixating his eyes on the gaping wound Azula has her palm pressed against. "Well then, you're going to wait until I bleed out. That'll certainly entertain the viewers. And after the most boring ending in Harmony Games history, at last, here is your victor... I'm dying, yes, but I didn't get this far to go out because of a little slice... Why not put me out of my misery, if you're suddenly so merciful?"

"I'm done," he says hoarsely and Azula manages to cock an eyebrow.

"Oh, but the show must go on, don't you know?" Azula purrs breathily. She can't help but smirk despite the blood dripping from her lips and her hand holding her insides in by pressing on the gash in her skin. "Give the people what they want and be immortal. I'm allowing you. Go right ahead."

"You're mocking me," he responds fiercely and Azula shrugs.

"I'm half dead. Do it. Do it," Azula says, ignoring the pain as she pushes herself off of the bloody grass. She stumbles towards her opponent with very little coordination left. The idiot does not move, but his hand twitches towards the blade tucked into his pants.

"I'm not going to do it," Shoji snarls fiercely.

"I admire your stubborn arrogance. It's actually quite impressive at this point," Azula purrs, looking the trembling boy up and down. "You led the careers, you almost drowned me, you slashed open your girlfriend's throat and killed everyone in the bloodbath singlehandedly. So why now? Why now? I know I'm gorgeous but it's not like that matters. Or have I suddenly developed legendary allure?"

He stares at her long and hard and she stares back.

And he blinks first.

He blinks first and the crack of lightning blends with the loud bang of a cannon. The light is blinding, the sound deafening, and Azula feels disoriented as the corpse brushes against her toes. She doesn't understand why that poor boy didn't understand.

Azula staggers slightly, wincing at the wound that suddenly is much more painful now that her life is no longer in danger. The adrenaline still courses through her veins, but the numbing panic has started to recede, leaving her kneeling.

And just as her breathing becomes labored, as if they are toying with her, taunting her by not awarding her victory, the trumpets blare. The familiar sound that Azula tried to keep in her head, hoping for as she hacked, slashed and manipulated her way through seventeen other tributes.

"Ladies and gentlemen," says the rough voice of Zhao Shirei declares, "I present to you the winner of the 70th Annual Harmony Games. The tribute from District Two!"

Azula weakly rests her head on the grass and waits to be taken from the arena.

[X]

Like in all of her dreams, Azula stands face to face with her father. He looks proud of her as he places that golden crown on her head. She stares at him with her lips slightly ajar.

President Ozai Shinohai takes a small golden pin from his suit pocket and fastens it to Azula's dress. She does not have to look to know it is the phoenix.

"I retrieved this for you," are the first words he says to her.

It is the first of many bittersweet gifts from her father.


	16. Interlude 3: Katara

**Interlude Three  
The 62** **nd** **Harmony Games**

* * *

 _"_ _Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."  
-Stephen King-_

* * *

Katara walks somberly to the stage.

She expected to be reaped one day. Her father won the Games once upon a time and those victors who made the risky decision of reproducing put their children on the chopping block ahead of everyone else in their District. Hakoda does not move as Katara stands up beside Cai Chinatsu and Song, the other tribute.

While Katara accepts her fate, she tries not to meet her father's gaze. The Capitol took his wife, took Katara's mother, and now they are taking his daughter.

She barely listens to the remainder of the Reaping Day traditions.

[X]

Hakoda stands in front of his daughter as she sits on the Justice Building sofa. He does not know what to say when he feels like his heart has been ripped to shreds. Hakoda remains strong, however, because it is not appropriate for men in District 3 to show emotion.

"Are you cold?" he asks. The Justice Building has internal heating, unlike almost every other home in the freezing district. Katara had already peeled off her parka due to the sweat, and so she knew his question was a desperate attempt at starting conversation.

"I promise I'll win," Katara says, smiling at him.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Hakoda replies, and Katara shoots him a shocked expression. "No, no, I don't want you to die, but, Katara, you die either way. I would give anything to take your place right now."

Katara wipes her fingers under her eyelids to dry her tears. They keep rolling down her cheeks despite her best efforts.

"I knew I'd probably be reaped. I can be called for either side of the District. Mom is from one and you're from the other. That doubles my chances and you being a Victor triples them," Katara whispers, picking up her jacket as the peacekeepers become restless.

It is time to go.

"I love you," Hakoda says.

Katara nods and hugs him, whispering, "I'll win," in his ear before they escort her to the train.

[X]

"Who are you leaving?" Katara asks Song. They sit on the train, the Reaping Day coverage at last over.

"My mom. She's a healer. Not a waterbender healer, but a… a regular one, I guess."

"I want to be one of those. A waterbender one…" Katara wonders why this conversation is so challenging. Maybe it is because only one of them will survive.

"Can you heal? Not a lot of people in the Harmony Games can," Song says, which Katara knows is the truth.

"Yes, I can, but I don't know what good it will do me in a fight to the death," Katara replies, wringing her hands.

"I've heard you're really good at waterbending," Song says, and Katara cocks an eyebrow, so Song hastily explains, "I know who you are. Everybody does; your dad is pretty famous."

Katara slowly nods, mulling that over. It might help her in the Arena; everyone loves a legacy tribute.

"I'm going to go rest," Song says, smiling and Katara and walking away.

Katara stares at the screen, not listening to Varrick's banter but watching the disturbing images.

[X]

Katara loves her billowing white dress. It flickers like snow in the sunlight, which is the intention. Song wears an identical outfit. They look like a blizzard.

They take the Capitol by snowstorm.

[X]

The other tributes make Katara uncomfortable, and the one that unsettles her the most is Naoko, a firebender from District 1. She steps into the ring with him, clutching a metal canteen of water. She figures out how to fix it onto her training uniform and locks eyes with him.

"Ready, District 3?" he asks, his lips twitching.

Katara nods and tears the water from its case. Naoko is a good firebender and their battle draws the attention of every single tribute in the gigantic room.

When they finish, it is a draw. They both are out of breath and so they step down simultaneously.

[X]

"Do you want to be allies?" Song asks on the second day of training.

Katara nods. "That sounds good. Other people have asked but I don't know who I want to choose."

Song weakly smiles; no one has offered to help her out in the Arena. Not when Katara is beautiful, strong and everything the Capitol wants to see in there. No, Song is just her district partner, overshadowed.

"We can pick two or three other people," Katara suggests. Song nods. "We could win that way."

"Yeah," Song says, wondering why Katara says _we_.

Everyone is in it for themselves after all.

[X]

The thing about Katara is that she is difficult to hate.

She befriends everyone at training, even though that is stupid. Katara opens her heart to people who will try to stab her in the chest in a few days' time.

At the camouflage station she paints the arm of the girl from District 4 as they laugh about some joke no one else hears. A strong eighteen-year-old guy from District 2 helps her aim darts, and she switches to shards of ice instead of sticks of metal.

Every day at lunch, she sits across from Song and tells her stories about the past, not lamenting them at all, talking like a girl who has so much left to live for.

[X]

At her solo session, Katara starts with a simple water whip, which does not impress the gamemakers. She takes a deep breath and bends the paint from the camouflage table. She creates a rainbow shield over herself and when it bursts, it colors the walls.

Katara draws it back and with one motion returns the paint to its bottles.

She bows, smiles, and leaves the room.

The night, she receives a seven.

[X]

Katara wears another white dress to her interview. It moves so loosely around her, rippling like waves and billowing like snow on the wind. She walks onto the stage after watching very impressive interviews from Districts 1, 2, and 3.

She sits down across from Varrick and smiles a genuine grin.

"So, how do you feel about your odds?" he asks, holding the microphone out to her.

Katara tries to focus despite the heat of the lights; she always preferred being cold.

"I feel good. I think I can win," Katara states. "The tributes are good this year, but I have something that nobody else does."

"Yes?" asks Varrick, cocking an eyebrow. This time he smiles at the cameras instead of the tribute.

"I won't sacrifice myself just to win. It isn't worth it. I've seen people become monsters and I won't let that happen to me. If I have to die in there, I want to die as Katara Shui and not a piece in someone else's game," Katara says, remaining poised as she speaks from the heart.

"And who is Katara Shui?" Varrick inquires.

"She is someone who would never become a killer to get what she wants, and she is someone who sees that the other tributes aren't the enemy. I've gotten to know them, as much as I can in just a few days, and they are all people who I would love to call my friends," says Katara. "They aren't the enemy. We're all just in a bad situation."

Varrick ponders that. Katara did not know he was capable of deeper thought than catchphrases and hairspray.

"You wouldn't blame anyone for trying to gut you?" Varrick asks, smiling at that for some reason. That stirs anger within Katara that she has not felt in a long time.

"No," Katara says, sitting up straighter. "I wouldn't. We don't have a choice because if we don't start killing the gamemakers will kill us. I'm glad I'm in the Games because I always hated rooting for my favorites and crying when they died. It's sick. If I win, I will win on my own terms, and if I die, I will die on my own terms. No one can take that from me when they've already taken everything else. I lost my mother, my freedom, my own life now, but no one can take away my soul or my mind or my heart and I will _never_ let them."

The crowd _claps_. Their applause is wild and Katara has the sudden urge to flood the entire room as penance, but she holds herself together.

"Good luck, Katara Shui. Our hearts are with you in that Arena," he melodramatically says before holding his hand out to the audience. "Let's have another hand for this dangerous dame from District 3!"

Katara stands and leaves the stage.

[X]

On her last night alive, Katara fills a bucket with water and makes waves.

It has always soothed her.

The back and forth, the ebb and flow, the control she has over something for once.

She is as ready as she ever will be for tomorrow.

* * *

The Arena is underground.

Katara has never seen anything like it on the Harmony Games. In this main room, fluorescent lights embedded in the cement ceiling illuminate the grim room. This domed ceiling is higher than the tunnels that go out from it like spokes. She counts nine exits leading into dark tunnels that could lead anywhere.

In the center of the room, the Sanctuary Square glimmers.

Katara desperately looks around for Song and they lock eyes.

The minute the cannon fires, the two girls run into the same tunnel.

[X]

Katara and Song stop at a dead end. They sit down, their backs against the wall.

"This Arena is weird," Song whispers, gulping while Katara retains her placid composure. "It feels like it's suffocating me."

"I feel the same way," Katara admits, tracing her fingers along the damp floor. There is enough water to survive, heal, and fight if need be. "We'll look around for any other tunnels in a few hours."

The cannons begin to fire, meaning that the initial fight has ended.

When the Capitol anthem plays, Katara looks up and sees six deaths. The strongest still live, the weakest snuffed out before they could stand a chance. This is how it always has been, but Katara hopes it is not as it always will be.

"Can I be honest with you?" Song asks quietly.

"Yes," Katara replies.

"I'm really scared." She exhales softly after she speaks. "I don't think I'll make it."

"You can't give up on hope that quickly. It is the only thing stronger than fear," Katara quietly says, patting Song's hand. "We don't know what will happen yet."

Song frowns. She appreciates Katara's positive attitude, but she knows she will not survive.

[X]

Katara finds a ladder to a smaller tunnel after trying to sleep and failing. Song follows her up to the top and they crawl through the tight space. They almost come out on the other side before Katara hears voices and holds up a closed fist. Song freezes in place.

Below, the career pack converses.

Naoko is the clear leader, with his district partner, both tributes from 2, one tribute from 4 and an unlikely alliance with a tribute from 10.

"I saw her go down this way," growls Naoko through a clenched jaw.

"She's a kid; she can't have gotten far," protests the girl from 2, crossing her arms. "And where do these tunnels even lead?"

Katara wonders who they are searching for. She does not think it is herself or Song.

Before any of the careers can say anything, a snarling sound comes from the shadows. Mutts. Katara holds her breath, edging backwards to stay out of sight. The girl from 4 screams as one of the pale, engorged cave-crawlers jumps at her and rips out her throat. A cannon fires and Katara covers her mouth with her hand.

Naoko burns four of the cave-crawlers while the girl and boy from 2 start running. The boy from 10 tries to escape but Naoko pushes him towards the beasts as a sacrifice before racing after the tributes from 2.

A cave-crawler bites the arm of the boy from 10 and Katara jumps down. Song reaches out for her but cannot catch her in time. Katara raises the water from the ground and walls, creating blades that slash the remaining five mutts into shreds. The blood on her skin makes her queasy, but she ignores it; the boy from 10 is crippled on the floor.

She kneels down beside him.

"You're going to be fine," Katara says, melting the ice shards and taking the water into her hands.

"They left me," he whispers. "I trusted them. I shouldn't trust people…"

"Yes, you should," Katara snaps as she lowers the water onto his wound. "In another world, I don't think anybody here would hurt you. They were scared."

The boy closes his eyes as the water on Katara's hands glow. She heals the wound and he slowly sits up, rubbing his arm, stunned that he is alive.

"Thank… thank you…" he whispers, his eyes as wide as the full moon.

"What's your name?" Katara inquires. Song drops down from the tunnels behind them and the boy from 10 reaches for his sword. Katara stops him. "She's with us."

"My name is Goro," he whispers.

"I'm Katara," says the healer, "and this is Song. Do you want to ally with us?"

"Yes," Goro replies, his lips twisting into a grateful smile. His spirits sink after the moment of glee. "It would've been smarter to let me die. You wouldn't have had to kill me; those _things_ would've. I'm just another person holding you back from winning."

"You're not _just_ anything. You're another person and I could never forgive myself if I let you die," earnestly says Katara. "Now let's focus on finding food."

Goro stands up and joins Song and Katara on their quest.

[X]

Katara is stunned when she sees the parachute.

She was beginning to think that they would have to brave the Sanctuary Square, but Unalaq and the Capitol deliver two packets of food to the three tributes. They sit down to eat, Katara still in shock.

Song absentmindedly rolls up her pants; they're soaked and she is uncomfortable. She does not think about the fact that Katara and Goro's eyes instantly drift to the markings there.

"How'd you get that?" Goro asks, making Katara roll her cobalt eyes. "I thought you guys were from a water district."

"We are," Song says, "but a few of our peacekeepers were from 1. They could firebend. My dad was arrested and he didn't struggle but they said he did. One of them burned me, I think just for fun, I don't know. I was little."

Katara feels her heart sink. She remembers how young she was when she saw her mother's death. It was under direct orders of President Azulon Shinohai.

"I'm sorry," says Goro.

Katara has no words.

[X]

Three faces are in the sky that night.

The next day, they hear a cannon fire early in the morning. Katara needs to take only four steps to see the corpse. She kneels down.

"She's dead," Goro says, touching Katara's shoulder.

"I know," Katara whispers. She pulls the sword out of the girl's body, holding her tears back as she hears the sickening squelch.

She hands the weapon to Song. The weight of the sword is almost too much for the healer's daughter to bear, but she clings to it like her life depends on it.

"Maybe…" Song trails off. "I'll give it a chance."

Song does not think she can do very much with this blade.

[X]

That afternoon, Goro falls prey to a trap. They try to climb into another small tunnel. He goes first, despite Katara's vehement protests. A blast of fire burns his skin and he falls to the ground, screaming from the pain.

Katara quickly grabs the water and tries to find out where to start. She can heal him; she has healed burns from peacekeepers before.

Goro struggles to breathe. He chokes as he drowns on his own blood.

Song stands a few steps away from them, clutching her sword and averting her eyes.

"I can help you," Katara insists.

Goro cannot reply. Song walks over just as the cannon fires.

"There was nothing you could do," Song whispers, helping Katara to her feet.

"There is _always_ hope," hisses Katara, squeezing Song's arm until her legs stop wobbling. "There is _always_ something we can do."

And so the rebels have a new anthem.

[X]

In the sky, a multitude of faces flash. The careers have succeeded at many bloody deeds while Katara and Song try to recover from Goro's death. The only people left are the tributes from 2, Katara, Song and Naoko.

Katara turns to Song. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father. I was too much of a coward to tell you about my mother. The Capitol took her from me. I loved her. She wasn't a waterbender, but she always helped people. I had an ear infection one night and she tended to it and rocked me in a chair and it's… it's one of my only memories of her. I just know I love her, I love her and I wish I still had her."

"Peacekeepers?" Song dares to ask.

"Well, yes, but on direct orders of President Azulon Shinohai. My father did something wrong, I guess, and they came to kill her. I wasn't supposed to be home; I decided to skip my waterbending class after school. I was watching through the back door as they killed her. They held her down and put a bullet through her head."

Katara does not cry. She _wants_ to, but she does not.

Song stares at the floor.

After the long silence, the tunnels groan and Katara perks up.

"They're moving! The tunnels are moving!" She grabs Song and starts to run, avoiding being crushed to death. She bolts out into another tunnel and begins to run down it.

Katara and Song clamber up a ladder and wriggle through another small vent. They jump down on the other side and run right into the careers.

"This is too easy," says the boy from 2, a sneer on his lips. He turns to Naoko and laughs.

"It's not that easy." Naoko slides into a fighting stance; Katara is _strong_ , as strong as he is.

The girl from District 2 turns to face Naoko. "Oh, stop it. She's a wimp. She's not even _trying_ to fight us."

The boy from 2 steps forward and lunges at Katara. She nimbly dodges him and jumps up to use her waterbending before she hears him scream. Song has stabbed him through the gut with her sword. She drops the weapon and stumbles backwards, colliding with the cement wall.

Did she just kill someone?

A cannon fires.

Yes.

The girl from District 2 screams wordlessly, throwing fire at Song. Katara blocks every single attack with her bending. She shoves the girl from 2 back with a burst of water.

Naoko doubles back to help the girl from 2 to her feet, fending off Katara's vicious flurry of ice blades. He helps the girl up and, instead of thanking him, she punches a burning fist into his chest. She swipes fire across his neck and throws him to the ground. With the sword that killed her district partner, she stabs him in the shoulder and runs while Katara and Song are still shocked by the betrayal.

The girl from District 2 disappears into the tunnels.

Katara slides down on her knees and heals Naoko. Song watches from the corner, masked by the shadows. She wants to help, but cannot bring herself to do it. Naoko is from _District 1_. He is a _career_. He will kill them the moment Katara saves his life.

He pretends to sleep as Katara gets up and sits beside Song. They both keep their eyes on the tribute from District 1, but talk with each other in hushed voices.

"Katara, what happens now?" Song asks, shaking her head as she speaks.

"We help him. He can be part of our alliance," Katara says.

Song stares at her feet for a long while.

"You can't be allies with everyone," she whispers to her district partner.

"Watch me," Katara sharply replies, shooting Song a glare.

[X]

In the morning, Naoko wakes up and sees two of the four girls keeping him from victory. Aishi from District 2, Katara, and Song are the only tributes alive other than himself. He could slash the throats of the sleeping girls and go finish off Aishi.

He picks up his knife and walks forward. When his blade hovers over Katara's throat, he realizes that he cannot do it. He steps back and stares at the blade. For his whole life he has been trained to kill, been trained to win, but Katara healed him for nothing in return.

Naoko fiercely stabs Song and runs to go kill Aishi.

Katara wakes to the screams of her district partner. Naoko is nowhere to be found, and so Katara knows that it was he who stabbed her best friend.

She seizes water and moves to heal Song. They both can keep fighting. The wound is not beyond hope; nothing is ever beyond hope.

"Katara, no," Song croaks, pushing her district partner's hand away. "Don't heal me."

"Why not? I can. You can live," Katara frantically says, shaking her head. "I can save you."

"I don't want you to heal me, okay?" whispers Song. "I just want you to promise me something."

"Yes?" Katara chokes out.

A cannon interrupts them. It has to be the girl from District 2; Naoko must have found her.

"Win for me. You _have_ to win for me," Song breathes. "It's just you and Naoko now. You deserve to win more than anyone else."

"I don't _deserve_ it. No one here deserves to die. They all deserved so much better," Katara says, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can do something. We _always_ can."

"Not this time. You can't change that only one person can win." Song feels colder now and talking becomes harder. "I don't stand a chance against Naoko, but you do. Now go win."

Those are her last words.

A cannon fires.

Katara does not let herself cry.

She hears the growling and scratching coming from the shadows.

The finale has begun.

[X]

The grotesque mutts chase Katara down the tunnels. She runs as fast as her legs can carry her, throwing water behind her as temporary barricades. She at last reaches the center room and sees that the Sanctuary Square has been replaced by a ladder.

Sunlight shines down over it and Katara's lips part for a few moments before she remembers the beasts pursuing her. She runs forward and sees Naoko bolting from another tunnel. The mutts follow him as well.

Katara reaches the ladder first. She begins to climb as Naoko yelps and fends off the beasts. He makes it to the first rung of the ladder and tries to climb up. One of the mutts grabs his leg and pulls him down.

Looking up, Katara sees victory. She could make it out of here right this moment if she keeps climbing, but she does not.

Katara stops on the ladder and the whole United Republic holds its breath. She is moments away from victory. Naoko screams as one of the mutts rips at his arm.

She closes her eyes, turns around and holds out her hand.

"Grab on!" Katara screams over the growling and snarling. "Grab on! I'll help you up!"

Naoko looks up at her and his hand twitches to reach up. One of the mutts grabs his leg and drags him down. Katara lingers there, unable to save him.

A cannon fires and the mutts recede. Katara clings tightly to the ladder and holds back her tears.

"Ladies and gentlemen," says Zhao Shirei, "I present to you the winner of the 62nd Annual Harmony Games. The tribute from District 3!"

Katara sobs once, and at last lets herself cry.


	17. Book 2: She Loves Me Not

**Chapter Eight  
** **She Loves Me Not**

* * *

 _For the gods know I speak this in hunger for bread, not in thirst for revenge  
_ _-Coriolanus, William Shakespeare-_

* * *

 ** _Between the 70_** ** _th_** ** _and 71_** ** _st_** ** _Harmony Games, The Capitol_**

 _The first four times Mai Shinohai meets Azula, she is too drunk to remember it, and glad of it. The first four times Azula Shinohai meets Mai, she is grateful for that fact._

 _Unfortunately, the fifth time is different._

 _Azula screams about the bloody faucet that does not exist; Mai tells her it never gets better._

 _They are forced to face each other, sober but shaken, under the fluorescent lights of the pristine white bathroom. Silence has been comfortable for them over the past week that Azula has lived in the Presidential Palace, but now it makes them both uneasy._

 _"_ _I don't imagine we'll ever be friends," says Azula._

 _"_ _No, we won't, but not for the reason you think. I don't do friends. I did friends with Zuko, with Kanona…" Mai trails off after the mention of last year's victor. Azula does not ask._

 _"_ _I don't either. If you came home instead of my sister I would kill you."_

 _"_ _I would've, if it weren't for the little girl. You're the most coldhearted bitch I've ever met—and I've met a lot of awful people—but when you put that pin on her, it was the most humanity I've ever seen in the Arena."_

 _"_ _Do you care about humanity?"_

 _"_ _Not usually, but I knew her family. I knew her brother for a short time, and I went home instead of him."_

 _It takes Azula a moment to piece it together. She never knew Kiyi's last name, but she would bet her life that it is—was—Hiromi. Then she realizes that those must have been the last two people Mai Shinohai loved, and it chills her to the bone._

 _"_ _She said your brother promised somebody he'd save her if he couldn't save himself."_

 _"_ _So what?" That means_ yes _, yes it was me._

 _"_ _I would've saved her if I couldn't save myself." And what would Azula have done if they made it to the final two? Could she have killed Kiyi just so she could live in a palace and meet her father?_

 _"_ _That's my point," says Mai, and she further explains, "One night in the Arena, the one before the avalanche, Kei Lo talked to me about me volunteering for my brother. He said he had a little sister he would do the same for, and he made my promise that if I won, I would protect her like she was mine. I tried."_

 _Azula chooses her next words carefully. "She reminded me of my sister."_

 _It takes Mai a moment to piece it together. She then realizes that it is a question, not a dumb statement of a fact everyone in the United Republic knows._

 _"_ _I wasn't perfect. Be perfect, Azula. Almost isn't good enough for him."_

* * *

"It isn't broken! You have to wait for it to heat up!" Azula shouts from bed.

Ty Lee has been whining for the entirety of their trip and Azula is already fed up with it. Perhaps she would have been better off leaving Ty Lee to be abducted and tortured or mutilated, because at least she would not have to explain how showers work.

"It smells weird!"

"It isn't scented!" Azula screams, forcing herself to her feet.

As she always does, she rose at sunrise, then went back to sleep after a bout of firebending. Ty Lee has made the latter part impossible.

She pulls a robe around herself and walks down the stairs to get another cup of tea. Spirits know she needs it.

"Look who's finally awake," says Azula to Korra. The Avatar has her head on the table and her eyes closed. Azula smashes her hand down on the counter just to watch her jump up. "We start our training today. Have more tea and pull yourself together. This used to be a career district. It, of course, no longer is, but we are going to train like them."

"We could use the old career school."

"Is that even still standing?"

"It's where they train probending and hold the matches. I go there a lot. I went there a lot. Ir—a friend used to run it, and he's… not around anymore."

Azula knows who Korra is talking about, but she keeps it to herself.

"Right," she coldly says. "I'm going to get ready; you gather your wife."

Korra and Asami take a thousand years to prepare themselves for the first day of their training. Azula sits, bored, drinking tea and picking at her fingernails. She hears someone come downstairs and looks up, expecting to see her sister and the Avatar.

It is Ty Lee.

"Azula," whispers Ty Lee as she sits down beside her girlfriend, "can I ask you something?"

"Yes," she replies, although she has become very tired of that question.

"What happened in 8?" Ty Lee whispers, her girlish voice barely audible and her big brown eyes wary. "You said you saw the footage."

"A revolt. It was quenched," Azula says, finishing her tea.

"But what happened?" Ty Lee speaks louder now. "I need to know, okay?"

Azula does not understand until she remembers. "You're from there. I forgot."

"Not _from_ there, really. I was… born there, though. Not that I remember it at all or anything."

"They organized it somehow, I suppose. I don't think it occurred naturally. It was timed to happen during the announcement; it was not a reaction to it. The people destroyed things and burned things and fought. The peacekeepers gunned them down and blew up a few buildings for good measure. As far as I know, they set up a detention center and have significantly increased security."

"Why did they do something so stupid? They had to know they couldn't win."

Azula shakes her head.

"I am certain they knew that. They didn't need to win; they needed to prove a point."

Ty Lee wraps her arms around herself and tries to understand.

[X]

In the probending center, Azula drives her tributes with no reprieve. Ty Lee decides to be the cheerleader after getting bored just watching from the sidelines.

"Korra, great kick! Azula, oh wow, you almost killed me that was so good! Asami…" Ty Lee falters. "You're a great friend!"

Asami stops trying to defeat a training dummy and sits down.

"I'm going to die," she decides, burying her face in her hands. "I'm going to die."

"You're strong," Azula says, walking to stand above her half-sister. "You _can_ fight, even if you aren't exactly on par with the Avatar and _me_. And, trust me, you are much smarter than your wife."

Korra pouts at the insult, but Asami sighs again.

Azula says, "Let's talk," as she helps Asami up.

They walk outside. The day is warm compared to the past cold ones. Spring is on its way, carrying Reaping Day with it. Asami stares at the thawed grass.

"Maybe I deserve to die in the Arena," she whispers, tears blossoming in her eyes.

"Why?" Azula inquires, stunned.

"I'm a terrible person," Asami says, aghast at herself. "Because Korra would literally die for me and I told her I loved her when I don't really love her and she thinks I love her. Because I've been to the other districts and… even in my own district people are suffering and I never suffered. I've been as wealthy as people in the Capitol. And I killed a little girl. I killed a little girl!"

"You didn't _choose_ any of those things. You killed Ikki by accident, defending your own life. You didn't choose to be born. You don't want to be lying to Korra. You're only lying to her to _protect_ her. None of that sounds like being a horrible person."

Asami sighs and turns away.

She needs to go for a walk.

Azula does not follow her.

[X]

After five days of training, Senna makes a beautiful dinner for the two couples. They sit among the overwhelming amount of food and try to make small talk. No one can pry their minds from the upcoming Reaping, no matter what they discuss.

"I don't even have a single packet of calorie purgers!" cries out Ty Lee, her eyes wide with fear and revulsion. "Not even _one_! I thought the districts were _starving_!"

Azula is embarrassed of Ty Lee until she remembers that Ty Lee is too hot for it to matter what she says. Korra and Asami look uncomfortable regardless, as if they are _surprised_ by her saying things that are terrifyingly out of touch.

"Well, we have more than the usual amount of money," Asami says after clearing her throat. She smiles at Ty Lee and Korra wonders how she does it. Her wife always stays so _calm_.

Korra keeps her mouth full for the entire dinner to avoid conversation.

[X]

Azula goes to her room and opens the bedside table drawer. It still squeaks the same way it did, still has the same ink marks from the pens she dropped in there while still uncapped. This house is haunted by memories of what once was, what she would never take back, even as the world crumbles around her.

She picks up a bottle of pills and opens it with her nail. Empty.

 _No_. That cannot possibly be right.

 _Yes_. Of course it is right, because she has been taking three times a daily dose every day she has been here.

She seizes the drawer, yanks it out and burns it to a crisp when she realizes that she cannot just order more from a pharmacist. Even the pampered District 2 has very little access to Capitol medicine. That is why her mother and her mother's mother were so good at healing without any modern medicine.

Azula pinches the bridge of her nose and tries to think. She sits down and decides to try to control her thoughts. That does her no good, and so she creeps down the stairs and finds the elixir of victors. It is untouched, even by someone as reckless as Korra.

Once she reaches her bedroom again, she allows herself to fall apart. It did not seem real to her until this evening, but she can do nothing about it. She is going back into the arena, and cannot fully comprehend what that entails, even if she designed it herself.

She loses herself in her room with a bottle balanced between her shaking knees.

"Azula!" suddenly shrieks a voice and Azula blinks several times. She is not quite sure what is happening right now and she wonders how many centuries have past. "Azula!"

Ty Lee bangs on the door until Azula stands up, staggers across the room, and opens it. A fist almost collides with Azula's face before Ty Lee stops herself just short of her girlfriend's nose.

"What do you want? I am trying to be alone," demands Azula.

Ty Lee reacts poorly to the slurred words. "You're drunk."

"No. I am not. I don't even drink." Azula attempts to stand in front of the shards of glass on the floor but it is ineffective.

"We can save her again," Ty Lee whispers, taking Azula by the waist and guiding her back to the bed. She shuts the door and stands in front of her love. "I know we can. This Quell isn't your fault."

Ty Lee thinks her consoling may be futile, as Azula will likely not remember it in the morning. All the same, she finds it to be her obligation.

"Yes, it is. The theme was my idea," Azula says and Ty Lee's breath catches.

"Why?" Ty Lee whispers. Azula would _never_ send Asami back into the Arena…

It hits Ty Lee then. Azula will rig the Games. President Shinohai probably even promised her that Asami would win this time if Azula took care of the problem victors… like Korra.

"I…" Azula trails off. Ty Lee cannot know about Azula's plan. "I needed to solve the Avatar problem. I needed to solve the _rebellion_ problem. I promised you, remember? I promised you I'd save us at the Victory Tour Party."

Ty Lee does not know what to say. She feels like she has been stabbed in the chest, even if she understands Azula's reasons. It would not hurt that way if Azula's reasoning was not because…

It is Ty Lee's fault. It is her fault and she does not know how she can bear the deaths of seventeen victors all because she got scared.

She just sits down on the floor and remains silent.

[X]

After two weeks of training, Korra sits at the dinner table of her house with Asami across from her. Azula and Ty Lee have taken off for the train station; they are headed back to the Capitol for a month. Asami rubs her arm and wonders when she and Korra stopped talking to each other.

"I'm gonna make sure you get out of that arena," says Korra, grabbing Asami's hand and holding it tightly. "I'm gonna make sure you see the ocean one day."

"I don't want to see the ocean without you," Asami whispers. Her stomach does backflips.

"We don't have a choice," Korra says, not letting go of her wife. "I get reincarnated and you might not. I couldn't…I couldn't live if I got out of the Arena instead of you."

Asami frowns. "You love me a lot, don't you?"

"More than anything in this whole world," Korra vehemently declares, squeezing Asami's hand.

Asami slips away.

"I'm not in love with you," Asami whispers. She knows the bugs in the house will report this, and that she will pay. But how can she pay any more than going back into the Harmony Games? "It's been an act for me. But I-I-I know it's not an excuse but I've been lying to protect you."

Korra blinks. She does not believe it.

"You love me. You do," Korra says.

"I _do_ love you, but not the way you love me. We'd be dead if it weren't for pretending to be star-crossed lovers and—"

"I wasn't pretending!" Korra shouts, her face turning beet red. "How could you make me think that? I've been in love with you since that day you saved me from the peacekeepers! I _love_ you so much and I thought you…!"

"I know," Asami whispers, "and I feel awful about it. I'm sorry."

Korra crunches the stone table beneath her hands. She begins to cry.

Asami runs to her room so that she does not have to face the victim of her crime.

[X]

Azula returns to the Capitol and settles in her bedroom with Ty Lee.

"You stay here until dinner," Azula orders and Ty Lee obeys. She knows how tumultuous things are and is not going to risk herself or Azula.

When Azula reaches Ozai's office, she finds the door closed and locked.

"He's in some meeting," Mai says, sitting down on the sofa outside of the mahogany door. "Did you have fun in 2?"

Azula shakes her head. "No, no, I didn't."

"I haven't been having a blast either. I've been sober since the night before you left and it's even worse than when I had Mimi," Mai says, leaning back on the sofa and locking eyes with Azula.

Maybe this is the time. It could be.

"Mai," Azula softly says, risking it, "I want to ask for a favor."

"You're asking me to die, and I'm not interested."

"I am not asking you to die; I am asking you to make a thousand deaths mean something."

"Well, I don't know those thousand people, and so I don't care."

"You know at least one."

"Yes?"

"Would you volunteer for your brother again?"

Azula has a knife to her throat before she can react. Mai pulls back when she realizes what she just did, and stares at the blade in her hand.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"What did you do to try to protect him for five years?"

"Nothing."

"That is a pathetic lie. I know what he does because he reaped my sister, all because I told him that he was a bit of a deadbeat dad. Did you do something wrong, or did he just do it because he could?"

"I repeat; you don't know what you're talking about."

"So, you just don't want to question the fact that you worried and fought and did so many awful things that we all do and then that very last year, the one where you think it will be over and everyone will be safe and you won't have to do that anymore, in one instant some dolled up failed model draws a slip of paper and everything you did in the Games and after them _means nothing_. What does fighting for your life and bowing and scraping mean if he dies anyway?"

Silence.

Sarcastically, Mai at last replies, "I am so touched by your riveting speech. You should be in movers."

Mai stands up and walks away, but Azula knows she has won.

[X]

In Ozai's office, Azula paces in front of the fireplace. He watches her from the comfort of his desk.

"Things have gotten worse, and you have done nothing I asked you to do in 2," Ozai says, drumming his fingers on his desk. "The districts are trying to rebel and you are sparring with your little sister and the Avatar. You were to relieve the Head Peacekeeper and seize control of District 2."

Azula stares at the table. "I was planning on it."

"Do you have no memory of our poison riddle discussion?" Ozai sneers at her.

She sighs and shrinks.

"I apologize. I have watched the district and watched three executions and I have seen how tame the people are. They obey their curfew, they do as they are told. I believed that my iron fist would only make things worse. If the current method is effective, I might do more damage by upsetting the balance they currently have."

Ozai has to admit that she is telling the truth. District 2 is entirely under control under his new, stricter laws. They always did obey the Capitol more than the others.

"Help me with the other districts, if yours is doing so well," says Ozai. "Tell me why on Earth these people think I will not wipe them out for their insolence."

"They do it out of hunger for bread, not thirst for violence." Azula does not realize what she said until after she said it. She has been on a downward spiral lately, and it is reaching its apex.

"You can't honestly sympathize with people who despise you."

"I didn't mean that. I just meant that they're doing it for a reason so basic and vital that they will be almost impossible to control. If they were just violent or warlike, they would be easier to control than if they are starving and emboldened by Korra," Azula eloquently explains, avoiding his ire.

"And that is what you really believe?" Ozai asks, gazing into her eyes. It gives her chills.

"It's just something I have observed. I am on your side and I always will be."

"I knew you were alive," he says, and it occurs to Azula that he is goading her.

"I knew you knew," Azula calmly replies, not letting him get to her. "It would be very hard for you to believe my mother's highly implausible lie. Yet, I love you and I have no love for these rebels."

He smirks. "I almost believe that."

"And almost isn't good enough for us, is it?"

[X]

The peacekeepers do a random search of the Victor's Village. Asami and Korra comply completely, but it does not save their belongings or their bedroom or Hama's garden.

Korra leads Asami over to her mentor's house and tries to help with the tattered life's work. Hama accepts the help, but her bitterness towards the Capitol is not easily concealed. Korra's bitterness about Asami is also poorly hidden.

They cannot hide that things have become as cold as winter between them.

Korra might never forgive Asami, and Asami would not blame her for that.

As Korra and Hama interact, Asami looks down at the massacred garden, feels the warm air, and thinks to herself, ' _You can cut all of the flowers, but you can't stop spring from coming.'_

President Shinohai should know that.

[X]

Reaping Day arrives much more quickly than anyone wants it to. Of course, every year it is dreaded, but this year in particular. Azula gazes out of the window of the train with a thousand-yard stare as she awaits her arrival in District 2.

Azula stands beside Asami on the fire side of the stage. Both slips of paper say Asami's name, but Azula will be the one to enter the Arena. On the other side, both slips say Hama's name, because Ozai knows the Avatar will volunteer in her place.

Ty Lee stands in front of the entire district, her eyes sparkling with tears instead of excitement. Azula is reminded of the saccharine blue drink they shared the night before the Harmony Games and Azula knows that Ty Lee will not take Azula going back into the games well.

The escort walks to the bowl on the left—Korra's—and although there are only two strips, she pretends to reach around like she always would. Perhaps it is so she can pretend it is any other Reaping Day, or maybe she does it by habit. She pulls out a strip of paper and unfolds it.

"Hama Ketsueki," she softly reads. If it were not for the microphone, she would be unheard.

"I volunteer as tribute!" Korra shouts and Hama closes her eyes.

Korra strides across the stage, takes a deep breath, and stands beside the escort. Ty Lee does not attempt to start applause, as she usually would. She just nods once at Korra and quickly looks away. She strides to the bowl on the right, and she is ashamed at how relieved she is that they both say Asami Sato.

With the same halfhearted bravado, Ty Lee pulls out one out of the two and does manage to hide her sigh of relief. It makes her feel monstrous that she is _relieved_ to watch Asami die in Azula's place.

"Asami Sato," she reads, even if her voice shakes, and Asami begins to walk down before Azula steps forward, her head spinning and heart pounding uncontrollably.

"I volunteer as tribute," Azula declares loudly and Ty Lee drops the shred of paper. It swirls very slowly down into the audience, carried on the light breath of the wind.

"What?" Ty Lee croaks, losing herself like a fool in front of the cameras.

"I _said_ I volunteer," Azula sharply states, walking across the stage to stand beside Korra. She shoves a panicking Asami backwards with one hand, preventing her from trying anything stupid.

Ty Lee is shaking her head, ignoring the cameras, ignoring that she could be killed for it.

"Don't do this," she whispers to Azula, but it is too late.

"We have a volunteer," Ty Lee states into the microphone, her voice constricted with emotion. Her cheeriness has been eviscerated by pain. "Azula Shinohai."

She struggles, she struggles not to faint as she glances at Korra and Azula.

They stare out at the crowd, and then to the cameras. It is then when the riot starts and Azula and Korra are utterly helpless. The square begins to burn and shouts ring out as the peacekeepers fire bullets into the crowd.

"No! No!" The Avatar screams at the top of her lungs as she watches the bloody scene unfold. She runs towards the edge of the stage, but two bulky peacekeepers grab her by the waist and pull her away with Asami, Ty Lee and Azula. "No! No! No!"

Her howls do not stop until the train has already departed.

[X]

In District 9, Mai does not tremble nor show her anxiety about her intentions. She sits on her balcony, across from Zuko, staring at him and wondering if he is going to fulfill his promise.

There is one strip of paper in the bowl to the left, and two on the right. The first has one strip with Zuko's name, the other has two strips saying Kanona's.

"Zuko Agni," announces the escort. She looks nervous.

Acid begins to burn Mai's heart as she watches the other bowl. Her name is not in there, even if it is supposed to be. But they cannot stop her, because she _is_ eligible for the games. She closes her eyes for a heartbeat, trying to remain calm.

"Kanona Emodi," predictably calls Kiri Bian.

Mai instantly stands up. She has to do it quickly or she might change her mind.

"I volunteer as tribute," she declares for the second time in her life and the crowd responds with awed silence.

The Capitol will probably react the same way.

Mai starts walking down before anyone can break out of their shocked state and stop her, forgetting to breathe until she reaches her spot beside Zuko. She glances at the frayed tape on the stage and then locks eyes with the main camera.

Their escort does not know what to say.

No one does.

Because the First Lady of the United Republic is going into the Harmony Games.

[X]

Meanwhile, just outside of District 2, Ty Lee sobs in her train compartment.

Azula watches the Reapings and pretends she cannot hear it. She wishes this were easier, but life is not easy. It never has been.

In District 1, Izumi is called and no one steps into her place, while Hyunara eagerly volunteers.

Watching District 2 only hurts when Azula laughs.

In District 3, Katara volunteers, as she agreed that she would. Her father, Hakoda, volunteers to enter the Arena with her. Azula does not know if he is a rebel or he is just trying to protect his child. Either way, she can work with that narrative.

In District 4, Kya passionately volunteers in place of a young girl, while Yue silently crosses the stage and stares at her feet.

Now three people have maintained their promises.

In District 5, Suki volunteers to go in with her dear lover, Sokka, whom has no one willing to take his place.

District 6 has no volunteers nor any rebels, and neither does 7.

In District 8, Opal volunteers first, and Bolin hastily does before their escort even finishes saying the other boy's name.

Watching District 9 makes Azula tense up. Zuko will definitely be in the Arena; no one is eligible to take his place. Mai is the only uncertainty left, and the worst of them all.

Azula watches as, yet again, that young woman raises herself for the slaughter.

The rebel plan is working so far. Now Azula just has to decide if she will take their offer.


	18. Book 2: A Name That Means Sorrow

**_A/N:_** _This is a Mai-heavy chapter. There's definitely a hefty dose of our protagonists, but Mai's decision to volunteer warrants attention. Most of y'all like her so I hope it's not an inconvenience._

* * *

 **Chapter Nine  
A Name that Means Sorrow**

 _"_ _There, but for the grace of God, go I."  
-Proverb-_

* * *

 ** _The 69_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Victory Tour_**

 _The Games of Kanona Emodi were disappointing. It began when a fan favorite who seized throwing stars from the Sanctuary Square died of a landmine. A fire drove Kanona to the weapons and she claimed them. Her mentor taught her well, and so she knew how to defend herself._

 _Mutts that chased her after she failed to kill the tributes from District 4 devoured everyone but her. One stopped to sniff her face as she lay sprawled on the ground before they retreated. For anyone else, that would have set off her cannon._

 _Finales are to be exciting, to be face offs between the best tributes, but a mutt ripped out the throat of the last remaining career while Kanona Emodi hid behind a rock._

 _No one complained, of course, and there was much fanfare about the fourth victor from District 9 in all of history. Not a single person expected there to be more than three._

 _Yet, Kanona Emodi was far from competent. She should have died on the first day, decent aim with blades or not._

 _The one and only thing Kanona had going for her was a best childhood friend who happened to be her mentor who happened to be the bride of President Ozai Shinohai._

 _Her Reaping was an accident, and the Capitol of the United Republic does not like accidents._

 _The first time Mai gets to leave the Capitol in two years is to go on the Victory Tour. Zuko gives up on talking to her after one day on the train. Kanona understands why she won and does not know how to talk to her best friend anymore._

 _It is not an impressive Victory Tour, and Mai is bored to tears._

 _In District 7, they stand on the stage before the speech. Kanona stumbles through her speech until an act of defiance silences her. An arrow very narrowly misses the face of Mai Shinohai. She scans the crowd but the peacekeepers find the perpetrator before she can._

 _Zuko grabs Kanona, Mai out of his reach, and waits for the cameras to follow the victor inside. They stay, inexplicably, until Zuko realizes what a photo-op the death of an assassin will be._

 _An assassin who looks to be about fifteen._

 _The peacekeepers shove him onto his knees as Mai stands and stares._

 _"_ _Anything to say for yourself?" asks the man who will likely execute the adolescent._

 _"_ _You're as bad as them," says the boy, not to the law enforcement but to his target. "You let them kill seventeen people—including my brother—so you could have slumber parties with your best friend. I thought you were different. I thought you were a prisoner but you obviously, obviously aren't."_

 _Mai remains silent._

 _The First Lady sees the gun and grabs the man who tried to kill her by the neck. She does not kill him, as he anticipates, but shoves him behind her._

 _"_ _If you want to shoot him, you'll have to go through me first," says Mai and the boy gazes up at her. "He's right. The Reaping of Kanona Emodi was an accident, and the Capitol hates accidents. They had to cover their tracks and that meant his brother had to die. If anything, that kind of injustice earns you a free assassination attempt." She turns to the horrified kid. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. If I could make it right, I would, but I can't raise the dead and I can't abolish the Harmony Games, as much as I'd like to."_

 _The cameramen are executed, and assassin has his tongue sliced out._

 _Kanashimi Shinohai is conceived._

 _In five months, Tomo Ukano and Kiyi Hiromi are sent into the Arena._

* * *

President Ozai Shinohai watches Reaping Day from the comfort of his office. He enjoys it every year, but particularly savors each tribute this time. As much as he wishes Azula would not throw her life away, he knows he will make sure that she wins. Problem tributes volunteer themselves, even when they are not Reaped.

He has a pleased smirk on his lips, until, at last, the feed reaches District 9. It is immensely satisfying to see Zuko helpless. Ozai hears Kanona's name and is about to return to paperwork before he hears her.

Ozai stares for a long few moments, studying the madwoman now standing beside Zuko.

When it registers to him that this is real, he stands up and shoves everything off of his desk in one livid strike.

Glass shatters, papers fly, pens roll, and none of it makes him feel any better.

[X]

Like Ozai, Zuko cannot believe what happened.

No one can, but he has deeper reasons for his incredulousness than the others. He promised himself that he would never let Mai get hurt, but she keeps throwing herself into danger left and right. Now he has to sit on this train with her again, wondering if she will ever make the ride back.

"You have Mimi," he argues, knowing it is his only ammunition.

Mai does not react as viscerally as he thought she would. She takes a slow breath and gazes out of the window as she speaks. "Her name is Kanashimi."

"Yes?" Zuko wonders why Mai said such an odd thing.

"Kanashimi is a word in the dead Fire Nation language. Do you know what it means?" she inquires and Zuko shakes his head. "It means sorrow."

Silence.

"It was the name of my district partner," anxiously interjects Kanona. Zuko and Mai had forgotten she was in the room. "Kanashimi."

"That's why I named Mimi that, of course. I didn't even know what it meant until some doctor brought it up, but it made all of the sense in the world. It was fitting that a child born from… born from…" Mai does not say it. "It was fitting that my child would be called _sorrow_."

"So you're glad to leave Mimi?" Zuko asks, aghast. Mai glares at him.

"No. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. I love Mimi with all of my heart and she is the only good thing I have ever done, but I hated her until the moment I first held her. She was another sacrifice, another painful act, another…" Mai sighs. "I should've done something before I even conceived her, but I did nothing. I did nothing for ten years and I wish…" Mai sighs again, but this time stands up, walks away, and locks herself in her compartment.

Kanona sits down across from Zuko. She trembles and has not stopped shaking like a leaf since the Quarter Quell was announced.

"She probably won't go in that Arena," Kanona says. "Don't worry."

Zuko's eyes flash. "Kano—Kanona, don't take it that way. I'm sorry."

Slowly, "Zuko, can I tell you something?" Kanona whispers and he nods. "I'm not going to live if I go in there, and I know I'm going in there. He won't let Mai enter the Arena. I'm not brave like her and I'm not brave like you and I'm not brave like anybody else who volunteered this year. I… was happy when I heard her say she'd take my place even though she already saved me once."

"You'll be fine in the Arena." Zuko is lying through his teeth.

Kanona shakes her head. "I'm going to go to bed."

She does not go to her compartment; she goes to Mai's.

Mai flips a switchblade, staring at it with her mind obviously a million miles away.

Kanona says as her stomach does backflips, "You shouldn't go in instead of me. You already saved me and…"

Mai calmly replies, "The last thing I want is you in there. I have a reason that I volunteered and I refuse to let anyone keep me out of this Quell."

Kanona gazes at her feet.

[X]

That night, Kanona Emodi overdoses on a cocktail of sleeping pills, nightmare suppressants and anxiety medication. She dies quietly in her sleep.

An accident; she was self-medicating, they all say.

Mai Shinohai knows the truth. Kanona was never brave. She was the one who made the dares to drink rubbing alcohol or jump the fence and Mai was always the one who did it. Kanona always was too afraid to sleep without the lights on and so Mai would make sure they never went out. Kanona always was afraid of spider-flies and Mai would kill them.

Kanona was scared of her fate in the Arena, and Mai knows that.

Mai should be heartbroken that she lost her best friend, but she is happy instead.

Kanona Emodi died painlessly and pleasantly, instead of being chopped up into pieces or eaten alive by monsters.

In her heart of hearts, Mai knows that—even if she were to enter the Arena—Kanona would have paid for Mai's actions: have her tongue cut out or worse.

Zuko calls it the easy way out; Mai calls it the smart thing to do.

[X]

Ozai Shinohai learns of Kanona Emodi's death while sitting in his office. His assistant feebly tries to justify it, knowing that it looks suspicious after Mai's actions.

"I anticipated that some tributes might choose suicide over going back in," Rei says, trying to skirt around Ozai's visible anger. "Of course, this one is the worst possible…"

He gets up and leaves his office; the place suffocates him.

Ozai walks downstairs and finds his daughter perched on the sofa. She looks up at him and her smile becomes a frown.

"What's wrong?" Mimi whispers.

Ozai does not know what he is supposed to tell her.

[X]

After that, Kanashimi Shinohai finds a box right before her bedtime.

It is tucked in one of her four dollhouses, barely noticeable. She pulls it out and struggles to open it at first, but finally pops the top off and sees sheets of paper and two books and a few other odds and ends.

She read very early in her life, but it takes her a long time to read the first piece of paper. It is a letter from her mother. At the end of the note apologizing for leaving her, she says not to read the letters underneath it until it's time.

They are spaced out for years, everything Mai will never be able to say if she dies in the Arena. Mimi sets the letters aside, obeying her mom. She picks up the book. The title is, _The Unabridged Laws of the United Republic_. Inside of it, her mother has tucked a smaller note.

' _This is why,'_ wrote Mai. ' _This is the first gift your father ever gave me and the one thing that took me too long to listen to. Follow the rules, because I didn't.'_

Mimi finds a piece of string with a tiny book attached. The booklet is worn by time and fingers. It shows a variety of instructions to make shapes out of the string, like a sake glass and cat's cradle. On the formerly blank back, Mai wrote, ' _This was my brother's. Don't lose it.'_

A set of many books wrapped in twine is underneath a knife that warns her not to play with it and a few knickknacks like jewelry and scraps of fabric. It is a sketchbook filled with drawings and a few paintings that make the pages stiff and wrinkled.

They have no explanation, just pictures of gargoyle creatures and colorful flowers and Mimi through the years and a crown of roses and other nightmares and memories.

Mimi stares at the contents of the box for a long time.

She does not understand them, but maybe one day she will.

[X]

Meanwhile, on the train speeding away from District 2, Azula owns up to the fact that she needs to face Ty Lee eventually. They have separate rooms, of course. They have enough for mentors, an escort, and tributes, but Azula creeps into Ty Lee's after staying awake watching the coverage and snapshots of the victor's shining moments.

"Hi," whispers Azula, sitting down beside Ty Lee.

She knows the escort is pretending to be asleep. When Ty Lee looks up, Azula sees her tear-streaked face and wonders if she should apologize.

"How could you do this to me? You promised to never make me be alone," Ty Lee chokes out. She throws her hands into the air, wailing once. "I can't even cry anymore. I cried all my tears and now I can't even cry!"

Azula touches Ty Lee's hand, and then her face.

"I love you," Azula says, certain she is not lying this time, "but I had to do this. I'll come back, Ty Lee. I swear to you that I will come back and I will marry you and we'll be one of those couples that kisses all the time and have way too many children. We'll move wherever you want to live and you can paint the walls whatever hideous color you like. And you'll be my First Lady when I become president. I _promise_."

Ty Lee loves that idea, but it is a pipe dream.

"Your promises don't mean anything," Ty Lee coldly replies, turning over and squeezing her eyes shut.

Azula lingers for a few moments before getting up and walking to her own room.

She cannot go to sleep, however, because Asami waits for her there. Asami has something clasped tightly in her hand and Azula can guess what it is.

Asami opens her palm, revealing a golden phoenix pin.

"You should have this. The Phoenix and the Avatar; you two are really something," Asami whispers, stepping forward and pressing it into Azula's hand. "I think this pin is lucky. Mom wore it and she won, you wore it and you won, I wore it and I won."

"I'm sure you want me to save Korra," Azula softly says.

Asami shakes her head. "I'll never be able to live with myself, no matter who wins. I was supposed to go in there and die so Korra could live. You won't do that."

"I am protecting _you_ ," Azula hisses, her teeth bared.

"I'm getting tired of you doing that. It never turns out well for anybody," Asami bitterly replies before leaving the compartment.

Azula stares at the door long after her sister is gone.

[X]

Korra lies awake. She and Asami have slept in separate beds since Asami's confession.

It is no different on this train.

The Avatar wants nothing more than to walk to Asami's room across the hall. She wants to lie down in her bed, and not screw or anything like that. The idea of sex does not even cross her mind. Korra wants to sleep beside her and feel her warmth and hold her so she does not have nightmares.

But Korra lacks that kind of courage at the moment. Korra loved Asami from afar, but she never could act on it before the Games. She always knew that she was loud and awkward while Asami was beautiful and poised. She knew she was brash and dumb while Asami was the cleverest girl in the world. She knew she was dirt poor and had a dirt floor while Asami was the richest person in the Districts.

Their love is like a tsunami that has receded back into the gentle waves.

And there is nothing sadder than the fact that the ocean keeps kissing the shore, no matter how many times it is sent away.

[X]

In the morning, Korra bites on her nails. It will make her prep team _very_ unhappy, but she does not care much about that as the train enters the boundaries of the Capitol.

Asami faces her for the first time since the Reaping.

Korra earnestly says, "It's okay if you want Azula to win. I'll always love you either way."

That crushes Asami's heart and maybe her windpipes too, because she can barely breathe or speak.

"I'm sorry," Asami says, but Korra has heard it too many times for it to mean anything. "I'd do anything to—"

"Don't start. The only reason I would want you in the Games would be so I could protect you for the rest of my life. Now I'm leaving you stuck in the Capitol while I die."

"I'll be fine."

"I won't be. I'm… glad I got to know you for a while, and, if I die in there, the last thing I'm gonna think about is you at our wedding and how insanely bright green your eyes are," Korra says, her nose tingling with tears.

"You're breaking my heart," Asami breathes, pressing her hand against her own chest.

Korra bitterly replies, "The feeling is mutual."

Asami sits down and stares out of the window. They have arrived at the Capitol.

She has no desire to wave at the gathering crowd.

[X]

Azula has pulled out all of the stops in her plans for the Quarter Quell. Every single tribute will be dressed in a reprise of their parade costume. No changes are to be made, save for sizing differences.

She runs her hand along the fabric of her cerulean dress. Maybe she forgot how to be the Girl on Fire until this moment. Azula stands at the chariot, Korra tugging at her bikini and deliberately staring at the ostrich horse instead of her district partner.

"Let's go," Azula says, stepping onto the chariot. Korra follows suit.

They begin to roll across the road to the plaza. Azula easily charms the crowd while Korra awkwardly tries to figure out how to stand. She really hopes Azula does not kiss her at the Royal Plaza.

At the end of the procession, Mai makes the applause fade into an awkward situation. They gawk, but they do not dare applaud.

She has been in this procession twice. Once for her Games, once tonight. She has sat in the stands with the victors thrice, two times before she married and years later once for Kanona's Games. All of the other years, she stood beside President Ozai Shinohai at the balcony of the Royal Plaza.

Mai wonders if they gave away her seat.

When all of the tributes reach the Plaza, Azula looks up at the balcony and meets her father's gaze. He gives a very subtle nod, a gesture to say that his promise will be upheld. Azula no longer _intends_ to enter the Games; she is _going_ to do so.

This is the start of how it all ends.

[X]

When they dismount the chariots, Zuko and Katara approach the Avatar and Azula. Katara wears a gown that looks like snow and Zuko shimmering pants with no shirt other than a few strands of electric lights like a sash across his chest.

Katara embraces Korra tightly while Zuko hangs back.

Mai approaches while Korra is still buried in perfume and white fabric. Asami, Ty Lee and Hama quickly follow, until the tributes of District 2 are surrounded by a mob of allies.

"Well, isn't this a fun party?" Azula sarcastically says.

"We might as well live it up before we all die," says Mai. Azula flashes her a smirk but no one else reacts.

Ty Lee looks hurt by the very thought.

Azula pretends to not notice.

[X]

After an extremely awkward elevator ride, Asami remarks, "The suite is really nice this year."

She feels foolish for saying that, but _someone_ had to break the silence.

"It does," Ty Lee gushes, although her sweetness has been forced since the Reaping.

Korra mumbles something that could be either assent or dissent and locks herself in her bedroom. Azula turns to her sister and sighs.

"I am going to ask why you my star-crossed lovers suddenly hate each other," Azula begrudgingly says.

"I told her the truth," whispers Asami.

"Never do that," advises Azula. "Never ever do that. Telling the truth is always a terrible idea."

Ty Lee shoots her yet another wounded glance.

Again, Azula pretends to not notice.

[X]

Several floors down, a very severe looking peacekeeper requests Mai Shinohai to follow him. She sighs, aggravated that she does not even have time to scrub off her make-up or change out of the tight black dress. All the same, she expected it.

"Am I under arrest?" Mai demands on the painful elevator ride.

Two peacekeepers shuffle their feet slightly, the one who asked for Mai turns to her. "Maybe for the murder of Kanona Emodi."

"Kanona killed herself. I'd never hurt her; she was my best friend when I was a kid. She knew she would go into the Arena, and she knew she would die. In her own Games, she wouldn't have made it past the first day if it weren't for… luck."

"But you also knew she would go into the Arena, and you seem to want that honor."

"It isn't an honor in District 9. It is a death sentence. If I were braver, I would do what she did because I would rather die in my sleep than get butchered in the name of entertainment. That was, after all, what they promised us."

"I think Kanona would stand a better chance than you. In the District I came from, everyone calls you a traitor, don't they?"

"Do you think I'm a traitor?"

"Of course not. I think you're reckless and a drunk."

The elevator stops in the Viewer's Lounge. While it is always packed during the Games, it is currently empty save for one man and three of his guards.

"Well, I think you shouldn't leer at me like that if you want to keep your eyes," Mai loudly and indignantly declares, pushing him away. "I happen to not be a slut who would sleep with anyone to win the Harmony Games, and I don't think you should say that to me."

He glares at her but his expression softens—terrified—when he realizes what she has just done.

Mai walks away from the elevator and stands in front of the sofa. President Ozai Shinohai sits on it as if it is a throne. She almost has an instinct to kneel, but of course she does not.

"I didn't kill Kanona," Mai says.

"I don't care if you did or not. If anyone thought I would replace you with her they would be wrong. I respect your death wishes."

"I appreciate that." Pause. "I had to do it."

"Not for Kanona, certainly. She's not enough for you to throw your life away. Who is?"

"You sound like you think I volunteered to protect someone. I volunteered because I want to, and because every time I watch a victor's kid get Reaped or see the face of a little girl who… I… I can only think _there but for the grace of spirits go I_. Kanona shouldn't be the tribute in that Arena. She won because she was my friend and wasn't meant to be Reaped. I'm the only _real_ victor of my sector in District 9, and I've never liked the perks of sleeping with you."

"You're so sanctimonious, aren't you?" It tires him.

"I don't know what that word means, but I couldn't look in the mirror if I watched this Quell knowing that I was spared for…" Mai shrugs. She should not have to say more. "I really doubt my name was on either one of those slips."

"Mai," he says, standing, "I wouldn't put your name on one of those slips because I love you."

"That's my point," she breathes.

"You know," he says, stepping forward towards the frozen young woman and caressing her face, "sometimes I think they reaped you because they knew I would love you."

"They reaped my brother," whispers Mai, and he pulls his hand away quite quickly. "Twice."

"Speaking of reapings, a Capitol citizen can't be in the Harmony Games."

"Well, laws have been amended lately, like the one that says a victor can't be in them again, and I don't think the districts would like it very much if you spared me and made the seventeen others fight to the death. Isn't that your problem? The districts have more anger than fear now."

"I don't think the districts will like it very much that you have openly defied the generosity of the Capitol by volunteering for the Harmony Games and therefore _flaunting_ your hatred for me."

"You know that I don't hate you. If I hated you…" Mai shakes her head. "I just seem to have a penchant for accidentally starting uprisings." She means that and he knows she means that. Washed up as she may be, she has always been a suitable icon for traitors. "I didn't intend for any of this. I didn't _ask_ for the past ten years. All I wanted was to save my brother. That's it."

He stares at her, and she stares back, and the conversation dies. They both know that he wants to remind her that she did not manage that, but he restrains himself. Ozai Shinohai does not need Mai to do anything else reckless and insane.

"I've kept you up too late," he says at last. "You should go get settled in your suite."

[X]

Upstairs, Azula sits alone in the center of the remarkably uncomfortable suite. Everyone seems to hate each other except for…

Hama sits down and says, "That girl is the only good thing that ever happened to you."

"Not true. My life has been a pure blessing since I won the Harmony Games," says Azula, wondering if she believes that anymore. _Yes_ , yes she does. She _has to_. "But… if it weren't for Korra, I would have married her."

"You still can," quietly says Hama, "if all goes as we hope."

The phrase is ambiguous, but maybe not enough. Azula knows her father must be aware of the potential for rebellion amongst his dear victors. That is why she decided to help him kill them all.

She cannot help her candor, for she has nothing left to lose.

"I don't think she'll want to marry me. I doubt our relationship still exists after what I've done to her," Azula softly says. "I couldn't tell her. She'd do something _stupid_ to try to stop me and get herself tortured or mutilated or killed. I already was stupid enough to get publicly involved with her. For the rest of her life, she is going to be in danger because of it."

"That's true," says Hama, "and maybe she's smart enough to eventually see that."

Azula has nothing more to say.

Ty Lee has nothing more to overhear from the hallway.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _To be shamefully honest, I think I got this chapter done and edited and posted really fast because of the overwhelming reviews. This was a pet project and I'd be writing it still even if no one but me ever saw it, but the encouragement makes me so happy. I love sharing this with readers and thank y'all so much for sharing your opinions with me. I'm behind on replying to reviews for all of my stories, but they all make me light up like a reading you for reading this far and I hope you're enjoying the show.  
_


	19. Book 2: Children of War

**Chapter Ten  
Children of War  
**

 _"_ _We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial—I believe we are lost."  
-Eric Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front-_

* * *

 _ **The 63rd Annual Harmony Games, Day Three**_

 _Katara does not know what to do her first year as a mentor. She did not mind it in theory, but the moment she set foot in the Tribute Center again, she struggled. Now, she avoids the other victors. Her tributes are still alive and they are all she cares about.  
_

 _Then, so soon the Games, they both are wiped out in a single trap._

 _She cries and cries and cries._

 _A raspy male voice behind her says, "It gets easier."_

 _Katara looks up and sees the famous Zuko Agni. She glares at him._

 _"I don't want it to get easier. I never want to forget how wrong this is," she whispers with fire in her eyes._

 _He studies her for a few moments and finds her to be genuine. Zuko extends a hand and offers, "I'll introduce you to my friends. They understand what you're going through right now."_

 _But they do not remember how to cry for these kids._

 _Not anymore._

* * *

In the morning, Korra avoids everyone in her suite at all costs. She dresses herself locked in her room, skips the shower, slinks down the stairs before even Ty Lee can escort her. Maybe it is against the rules, but she does not think anybody cares much about those anymore.

Unfortunately, minutes after she reaches the training room, her district partner shows up.

"I am not babysitting you," says Azula to Korra the moment she stands beside her.

Korra glares. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Good. My only instruction is to not get cozy with anyone outside of our alliance," says Azula, crossing her arms to examine the playing field.

"Our alliance?"

"Me, you, Mai, Zuko, Katara, Opal, Bolin and Kya."

Korra desperately wants to argue, but she quite likes that alliance. She just grunts in approval and goes to the camouflage station. Bending and fighting seem pretty stupid when she constantly bends elements other than water by mistake.

Azula finds her sole friend.

"You look awful."

"I had a hard night." Mai uncrosses her arms. "I'm going to go shoot things. Interested in a wager? Lightning versus arrows?"

"Well, I don't have anything else to do."

"No, no, you really don't, since you designed the Arena and know exactly what you're getting into. Let's go grab the simulator before anyone else does."

Azula glances around. No one looks enthusiastic, not even the former careers. She remembers training for her Games and seeing how desperate every tribute was to try each station and master every weapon. Today is the opposite.

She does not like how much she questions her own decisions when she sees the people around her.

[X]

Hama takes Asami to the Viewer's Lounge on the first morning of training. She walks past all of the victors, enters the cabinet belonging to District 2, and withdraws a catalogue. Asami accepts it from her and starts thumbing through it.

"These are all sponsorship items," says Asami. She sees that they are also at exorbitant prices. How does anyone get someone to scrape up this kind of coin?

"Yes. I think you should familiarize yourself with what we can actually do for your sister and Korra," Hama coldly says, patting Asami on the back in an empty gesture.

Asami flips through weapons, then survival supplies, then the entire thing, but comes up short.

"The nightlock extract…"

"Wasn't from the catalogue," says Hama and Asami looks up at her, stunned. "No, Azula made an exception. I believe the First Lady gave it to her."

"They wanted me to kill Korra."

"But you didn't. Now try to figure out what those girls might need, please. I will go speak to my friends."

Asami watches as Hama joins—of all people—June and Toph. She did not imagine that they would be those closest to Hama, but perhaps all of her dearest friends are tributes this year.

She does not think this will be easy for anyone.

[X]

Mai leans against a wall with the Avatar beside her. Magnificent.

She cannot believe she agreed to this alliance, and she cannot believe she lost her stupid coin flip with Azula and now has to watch the Avatar for the morning. Apparently she is supposed to be helping teach Korra important skills, but she does not know any important skills, so she just has to wait for someone to come rescue her.

Her desperate eye contact does not seem to be working so far.

"Who are they?" asks Korra, pointing at the tributes from District 8.

"We're going to go through every single person here, aren't we?" Mai rolls her eyes. "They, like the tributes from District 7, didn't win their Games in very spectacular ways and have been self-medicating ever since, which I applaud. They're not helpful to us. Any other questions?"

"When did you decide our alliance?"

"I didn't decide our alliance. It literally could not be more painful to me. I hate everyone."

"Everyone?"

"I. Hate. Everyone."

"You don't hate Azula and Katara."

"I. Hate. Everyone."

"Then why did you volunteer?"

"It is no wonder that this is all your fault. You could not filter your words if you _tried_ , could you? I wouldn't have volunteered if it weren't for _you_ because none of this would have happened if it weren't for _you_. If it were up to me, I would kill you first, but it isn't up to me."

"Spirits, Mai," remarks Katara, walking up to the two women.

"It's true. We both know it's true. She's your problem now." Mai walks away, leaving Korra agape and Katara irritated.

"I don't need to be monitored at all times," Korra grumbles as soon as she regains her composure.

"You're not being monitored. We're trying to impart some wisdom on you so you don't get _yourself_ killed. I promised I would be your ally and help keep you alive, but some of that burden falls on you."

"I won once. I can take care of myself," Korra brusquely says.

"Everyone here won once, and the Arena is going to be trying to kill you at every turn. Who do you think the Gamemakers want to wipe out most? Me or you?"

"Me," begrudgingly admits the Avatar.

"Now, I'm going to try to teach you some healing. Come on." Katara beckons for Korra to follow.

[X]

"These people are all kind of jerks," Korra remarks at dinner in the District 2 suite. "I'm not having a lot of fun or making a lot of friends."

"This isn't a slumber party; it's the Harmony Games," snaps Azula.

"What did I do to piss everyone off so much?"

Azula says nothing; Korra knows the answer. It _is_ her fault that these people are going to die. That's just more blood on her hands; Korra cannot handle it. She just can't.

"It's not that much of your fault, Korra," Asami says, which just rubs salt in the wound.

Korra gets up, begins to walk away, turns around to grab her plate, and sequesters herself to her bedroom again.

Asami turns to Azula and says, "It's mostly my fault. I pulled out that poison."

"No more wallowing in blame and self-pity. We have more important things to focus on," Azula says sharply.

Korra wishes she agreed with this bitch less often.

[X]

"How are things with Asami?" asks Kya as she paints camouflage on Korra's face.

It is the second to last day of training and Korra has not spoken to her wife in what feels like an eternity. She just does not know what to say to someone who lied to her like that, but someone she still loves with all of her heart.

"Terrible," Korra replies. "She said she doesn't really love me and that it was all an act."

Kya lowers the dripping brush and grimaces. She knows it to be true, but _wants_ to lie to Korra with every fabric of her being. It must hurt; all of this must hurt.

"She cares about you very much," says Kya.

Korra stares at the floor.

This is the worst week of her entire life.

[X]

"I wish I had died in the Games," Asami whispers to Hama. "This is all so much… worse."

"Seventeen people win and one loses," Hama replies without missing a beat. "That's how it's always been."

"All these people are going to die because I didn't just kill myself with that poison. If I had just drank that poison in the Arena, everything would be okay and good and normal."

"It wouldn't. The Avatar would be alive and Korra would not be snuffed out like the icons that came before her."

"I love her but… I wish she wasn't the Avatar, I wish I died in that Arena, I wish everything was good and everyone was safe."

"Safe from what, dearie? Every day people starve and suffer and send their children to die. It takes bloodshed to change things. Some must die so that others will live in peace."

Asami hates that idea, and the look in Hama's eyes scares her.

"Then I wish I could love her like she loves me, so this could be…" A teardrop falls from Asami's eyelashes. She does not know how to finish that sentence.

"I'm not usually one to say this," Hama says, "but I think you should have kept lying to Korra."

Asami manages to laugh through her tears. "Tell me about it."

"No, not for the reason you think. I think you should have because she won't keep her mouth shut, and things are dangerous enough for you already. Everyone is expendable in the eyes of the Capitol, and that includes you."

"I know that," Asami earnestly says, closing her eyes and bowing her head.

Hama does not have more to say.

[X]

On the last day of training, everyone receives a second private observation by the gamemakers. Azula imagines that the victors will be taking out their frustrations while they still can, and Azula wishes she were up there to watch them all. At this point, the sobering reality has set in. Not a single person wants to go back into that Arena, even the careers.

Izumi and Hyunara go first, then Korra.

The Avatar walks into the room and sees her father-in-law. He caught her eye a few times during training, but she was preoccupied by how much everyone hates her. Now, she stares directly at him for a few moments.

Awkwardly, Hiroshi Sato clears his throat and asks her to begin.

She walks to the water. It is a safe bet.

Korra does a few complicated forms and slashes a dummy to bits. That is not enough. She considers using one of the skills the victors taught her, but, instead, she walks to the earth station and tears smashes rocks into pieces in the air. Korra takes a few steps forward and bends fire; it is her second best element, since her best friend taught it to her in secret. She does not risk bending air, because most of the time she does not succeed at it and she will not be made a fool of.

She finishes by mirroring the statue on the bottom floor of the Tribute Center, then releases three out of four elements.

Korra nods sharply and leaves before anyone can apprehend her.

Moments later, Azula walks into the room and sees her former colleagues, with Hiroshi Sato in her place. They are on the edge of their seats and she has not done a thing.

She walks inside and introduces herself, as if she needs to do such a thing.

"You've seen my lightning," Azula says and they all nod. "I would hate to bore you all. I suppose I will have to come up with something a little more interesting."

Azula freezes in place, not quite certain what else she offers.

She hears the whisper of, _'She's fallen so far, hasn't she? Zhao Shirei was too tough of an act to follow. No wonder she quit.'_

Tensing, Azula Shinohai strides forward with clenched fists.

It takes her a few moments. She locks eyes with the man who dared insult her before loudly dropping her pen and leaving her masterpiece in place.

Hanging. Hanging from a noose. Decorated. Hanging. Scrawled on it:

 _Zhao Shirei._

[X]

Azula and Korra receive tens.

Unsurprising. They should not have done what they did.

Everyone else receives a reprisal of their old scores.

[X]

On the night before the Quell, every tribute wears recreations of their initial interview outfits. Katara is garbed in a snowy white dress, Mai in dark fabric, Azula in cerulean.

"Tonight should be interesting," remarks Katara to Korra, trying to occupy her with conversation since she and Asami can barely make eye contact. "No one has anything to lose anymore, so I doubt they'll be holding back."

"You're right," replies the Avatar, glancing up at one of the five screens backstage.

Hyunara's barely controlled rage currently playing on the television is evidence enough.

Meanwhile, Azula is focusing intently on adjusting her dress when she sees Ty Lee. Her girlfriend has not spoken to her for the entire week, and she does not expect her to begin now. She is, for once, wrong.

"You look beautiful," Ty Lee whispers, her voice pained no matter how much she tries to mask it. "I remember standing here a year ago and trying to figure out how to talk to you. You looked beautiful then too."

"I always do," Azula says, turning to face Ty Lee. "You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself."

Ty Lee beams. Then her smile falters, realizing where she is and what is happening.

"Good luck," says Ty Lee, skittering away. She cannot bear to prolong the conversation.

Asami shows up before Azula can even blink. She has one fist clenched and at first Azula thinks she is going to punch her. Instead, Asami fastens the phoenix pin onto Azula's dress.

"Is this an approved alteration?" Azula teasingly inquires.

"No," Asami replies, a smile creeping onto her face.

"It fits my outfit." Azula smirks with a knowing glint in her eyes. No one knows what she demanded of Xia several nights ago. "It also will probably secure my victory. If anything is good luck, this old thing is."

Asami just nods. She runs away at the same speed as Ty Lee.

[X]

On the sweltering stage, Varrick asks Azula, "I remember when you sat here five years ago. What has changed since then?"

"I have become so much stronger over the years. I have been given such love from everyone here, and from my father. But the whole United Republic knows those things." Azula deliberately pauses, feigning contemplation. She already knows her angle, of course. "I have more interesting news; I have fallen in love."

Gasps. Fawning.

"With who?" Varrick's eyes are wide. This is the kind of news that excites people, and Azula wants them to be incensed. "This is news to me!"

"A girl who…" Azula forgets her line. Her eyelashes flutter; that has never happened to her before.

"What would you say to her?" Varrick interjects, hoping to save the romantic moment.

"My love," Azula says. Her eyes are directly on one person sitting in the audience, "If I have any last words. They are that I am so sorry. I apologize for what I have done. You deserved so much better. We all did. And, to prove my intentions of coming home, I want you to marry me."

Silence. Azula expected applause. This is more poignant than that, she supposes.

Varrick has nothing to play off of, so he asks, "Was it your idea to make everybody wear their old outfits?"

"Of course," Azula says, nodding. She cannot conceal her smirk of pleasure at the fact that he brought up how she was gamemaker. "In fact, I made sure that I could still be the Girl on Fire."

Without invitation, Azula stands up and spins. She remembers the first time she did this, five years ago, and how thrilled she felt. Her life _meant_ something. This time, she feels the same way, but that meaning is different.

The recreation of her interview dress burns to ashes, revealing a gown of flowing gold, red and orange fabric. She slowly raises her arms, locking eyes with the camera, daring anyone to stop her now.

"That looks like wings," Varrick remarks. "Like your pin! That pin!"

"That phoenix," says Azula. "I'm a phoenix."

Applause.

She imagines it will leave an impression.

[X]

Korra awkwardly crosses and uncrosses her legs, squinting in the spotlights. She had hoped she would never have to do this again, even if the Victors always get interviews during the Games. They did not ask her to talk in the past, only Asami.

Asami. Her heart skips a beat. She wonders if she will ever speak to her true love again.

"How are you and your wife coping?" Varrick inquires, stabbing Korra in the chest. She feels the proverbial knife twist in her heart.

"I'm… I'm hoping she'll go on without me."

"You don't want to get home to her?"

"I would but it would be worse if I came home instead of her sister," Korra says and Azula's mouth dries. This will _kill_ the goodwill. She hates how much Korra sucks at this. "I think it would be better if Azula won and Asami could have her."

Varrick is left in an uncomfortable position yet again. He cannot believe how far the night is from over.

"Anything special about your outfit?" he asks, holding the microphone out and rescinding it once he notices that the United Republic can see it shaking.

Of all things, Korra sucks at talking about clothes and make-up, but, this time, she knows just what to say. "Well, I just found out that me and my district partner have matching outfits."

Varrick cocks an eyebrow. "What?"

"She's a Phoenix and I'm the Avatar. Phoenixes get reborn and so do Avatars. So do a lot of things. I'm sorry that I left everybody in my last life. I think I was reborn to right that wrong."

"That, uh…?" Varrick asks as Azula smirks in victory. This is perfect.

"I couldn't save people. I… still can't save people. Ikki and… my best friend… he… on my Victory Tour… he was killed. So were the other victors. They said it was an accidental explosion. It wasn't. And I know I've kinda doomed all these tributes this year but I'm gonna save as many people as I can, even if… even if I can't take back the lives that got lost because of me and my past lives."

It is the most articulate thing Korra has ever said.

[X]

"Katara," says Varrick, now profusely sweating, "do you have any changes to your play style?"

"No, because my only play style was refusing to kill anyone. And, Varrick, to be honest, I heard about this Quell theme and thought there was nothing I could do."

"Oh, well—"

Katara interrupts him before he can hide what she plans on saying next.

"I was wrong. I didn't listen to my own self. There is _always_ something we can do."

The wrong kind of people will cheer at that comment. It is a dead slogan of a revolution, a combination of words Katara promised never to utter again so long as he spared her dad.

She has very little to lose now. They have done their worst to Katara, Hakoda and all of her friends.

[X]

After many quips and conversations and emotions that range between angry and sobbing in front of everyone to make them feel guilty, the very last interview begins.

"Mai Shinohai; you look gorgeous!" Varrick calls out, inviting her to the chair across from him.

She is the last person and she knows she has to make the fiercest impression of them all. Thankfully, that should not be difficult. Mai has been waiting a very, very long time to tell people what she really thinks.

"Don't I always, Varrick?" Mai coldly replies. The crowd laughs. Mai does not.

"I remember when you sat here ten years ago. What has changed since then?"

Mai exhales softly. She knew he would ask, but she did not want him to ask.

"I…" She does not have anything witty to say. She does not have anything to say. "I… you all know. I've never been out of the limelight for a decade. But I've also never been able to talk much. I have always kept myself… poised and just nodded along with the official speeches if I had to react."

Varrick nods, wondering if he should be matter-of-fact or sympathetic or someplace in between. She has revealed the cause of her emotionlessness and apathy; it is not a pretty one.

"You volunteered twice. It's such a brave thing," says Varrick.

"I don't consider myself as having a choice either time," she replies. "The first time I wanted to save my brother, and this time I would be a monster if I didn't."

"So brave! Any regrets?" He weakly smiles, hoping he can keep playing the brave angle.

"I'd have none at all if... if it weren't for... if it weren't for the baby," Mai says right into the microphone.

The room freezes, time slows, anger ripples through the crowd like applause did mere moments ago.


	20. Book 2: Lay Me Down to Sleep

**Chapter Eleven  
Lay Me Down to Sleep**

* * *

 _"_ _Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That's part of what it means to be alive."  
-Haruki Murakami-_

* * *

 ** _The 72nd Harmony Games, The Night Before_  
**

 _Ty Lee's first year as an escort is the hardest. For the 72nd Annual Harmony Games, she struggles with the choices. She struggles with the fact that everyone in her life has always loved her, but the people in District 2 looked at her with hatred in their eyes from the moment she steps on the stage._

 _The worst part, however, is the night before. She grew to love her tributes. They were such amazing boys and Ty Lee loved the one who flirted with her and loved the one who glared at his district partner when he did._

 _Now they probably are both going to die._

 _She sits there in the darkness, unable to rest._

 _No one comes to comfort her. She does not expect them to._

 _Ty Lee chose to be an escort, after all._

* * *

It is the night before the 75th Annual Harmony Games and Azula has her lips pressed against her knees as she sits on the same table she haunted exactly a year ago. She is trying to go over the plan in her head enough times to console herself, but she also knows that the gamemakers can upset it before the announcer even says _three_.

Maybe they will have turned against her and the Arena will not be perfect. No, Ozai would not allow that; he must still have faith in her and her plan. Azula hopes he does not know about the deal the rebels offered her; the one she is giving some thought.

"You look awful," a girlish, Capitol-accented voice whispers behind her.

Azula glances up to see her escort, with two bright blue sugary drinks in her trembling hands.

"I hate the night before," Azula replies, rubbing her forehead. "But I guess I volunteered to be here."

"And I _hate you for it_. I think you made the worst decision _ever_ ," Ty Lee hisses shrilly, glowering at her fiancée.

"I'm..." Azula licks her lips and squirms slightly. "I should express apologies and remorse for what I did to you."

Ty Lee simpers. Of _course_.

"Did you mean it in the interview? Was that a real proposal? Did you mean that you would marry me?" Ty Lee whispers.

"Of course. When this is all over, I promise I will marry you, and we will live happily ever after and have two kids." Azula means that.

Ty Lee kisses her, overwhelmed with emotion.

"You can win. Azula, you won before and you can win," Ty Lee says rapidly, her voice constricted with emotion. "He won't let you die either. I bet the odds really are in your favor."

"It's not about odds. The game is rigged from the start," Azula breathes and Ty Lee pouts.

"Your pessimism sickens me. Have a drink." Ty Lee shoves a glass into Azula's hand.

Azula sips the sweet and sour cocktail as Ty Lee hoists herself up onto the table to sit beside the dreadful woman she was dumb enough to fall in love with.

"These are the same ones." Azula taps her sharp fingernail on the crystal class.

"They always serve them. I think they're supposed to be traditional of District 2 this year but I know for a fact that I made them up." Ty Lee wrings her manicured hands. "You better win. Okay? I mean it so much. And, like, you _can_ is the thing. And you _should_."

Azula shrugs. "You are not the worst person I have ever met."

"The feeling is mutual." Ty Lee smiles before her heart sinks again. She needs to stop reminding herself of what is going to happen.

"Have I lived up to your daydreams?"

"Mmm." Ty Lee is silent, a quite rare event. "Yeah. Maybe. Of course, yes." Silence again. Azula thinks there were low odds of that happening. "I have to tell you a secret."

"You really _did_ have a shrine dedicated to me as a teenager?" Azula smirks.

"No. That's not my secret."

"Yes?"

"I have to tell you a secret, but I can't tell it to you now. I'll tell you after the Games."

Azula rolls her eyes. "Fine. Are we going to have a repeat of last year? Because it might be my last night alive..."

Ty Lee wants to cry and smile and scream but she just gives her well-rehearsed drawing-children's-names-in-a-death-lottery-and-pretending-to-be-excited smile.

She bravely whispers, "You are _disgusting_. But yes."

[X]

Mai shoves the door to the District 9 suite shut in the face of the two peacekeepers. Rubbing her arm, she turns and, of course, sees Zuko sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

She still wears her glittering interview dress, but her gorgeous makeup has smudged here and there. The sleeveless dress reveals the bandage over a syringe entry point; they tested her, of course.

"Are you actually pregnant?" he asks.

"Yes. That's why I volunteered," says Mai without a moment's hesitation.

Zuko snarls softly, "You don't think that perhaps an abortion would be wiser than getting yourself killed?"

"I'm not doing it _about_ the pregnancy, I'm doing it _because_ of it. I ended up with it out of fear and not any real desire for it. I found out the day the Quell was announced, and I came to the realization that eventually I can't keep aiming higher because there isn't an actual target. It won't end. It won't end for the rest of my life, unless I do something."

Zuko vehemently shakes his head. "This isn't what you should be doing."

Mai bristles. "I don't give a _damn_ what _you_ think I should be doing. I had Mimi to stop him from killing my brother and he still did. I have jumped through so many hoops that I have lost count. I'm not doing it again. I can't die in that arena because I have died a thousand times in the past ten years. Someone slitting my throat would be merciful at this point."

"You've hidden this for five months?" Zuko rasps, his eyes bulging.

"Technically six and a half," Mai casually explains, as if this is not shocking and revolting, "but I only knew for five. I'm not hoping to die in there, but I don't care if I do."

"I care if you do," Zuko passionately announces, but it merely makes Mai scoff.

"Then maybe you finally have your chance to be my hero," she coldly replies, her amber eyes glinting with a flicker of anger.

Zuko wants to argue further but the door opens. Mai does not turn around. She knows who it is. Or at least, she thinks she does. Someone small runs and wraps her arms around Mai's waist.

Instinctually, Mai spins around, kneels, and picks Mimi up, holding her tightly for a few moments before setting her back down on the floor. She looks up and sees Ozai.

"Have a few moments with her. I can wait," says President Shinohai, and Mai nods.

She holds back tears as she sits down with her daughter in the dining room.

[X]

That same night, Korra lies awake, thinking about Asami as she does every night. She will be safe in the Capitol, at least. That is the only small comfort Korra has. As she tries to sleep, she tries to imagine every single feature on Asami's face. The curve of her bright emerald eyes, the way she furrows her brow when she thinks, the taste of her lips…

"Uh, Korra…" whispers the last voice the Avatar expected to hear.

Asami walks in and gazes at her wife. The darkness makes it difficult to see, but that does not matter because they know every inch of each other. She stands, wringing her hands. Korra sits up.

"Yeah?" Korra asks, seeing that Asami is stuck in silence.

"I was just wondering if I could stay with you tonight," Asami whispers, struggling to say it.

"Of course you can," Korra says, grinning. She pats the bed beside her, and Asami joins her.

Asami slips under the covers and Korra lies back down. They are together, like they never have been since their wedding night. No sex, nothing heated like that, just a soft, warm solace as Korra dares to hold Asami's hand.

"I'm sorry for everything," Asami whispers, squeezing Korra's hand.

"Even if you aren't in love with me, there's nobody else I'd rather be doing this with," Korra softly says, bringing a small smile to Asami's rosy lips. "I feel really lucky that I had you, even though it was just for a little while."

Asami feels tears rolling down her cheeks. She does not try to stop them; she just repeatedly blinks and lets them fall.

"You were my first friend," Asami says. "You're my best friend. Don't die. Please, don't die."

"I can't promise that, but I promise that I'll be reborn, and I promise I'll find you again," Korra says quietly.

Asami sits straight up as if she has been electrocuted.

"Is that your plan? Just let yourself die and then right all the wrongs once you're reborn?" Asami glares, her eyes flashing in the moonlight like a cat's.

Korra shrugs. "It's a good one. It lets two people live again."

"No, no, no." Asami jumps to her feet now. "You're not just the Avatar; you're the _Avatar_."

"I don't follow," Korra says, scrunching up her face.

"You're the only hope we have, okay? You symbolize _hope_ , not rebirth. The world needs you _now_ , not sixteen or seventeen years from now," Asami growls, clenching her fists. "Please, you said in your interview that you'd save people this time."

Korra closes her eyes and audibly inhales and exhales.

"I'll try."

"You won't _try_. You'll do it. You'll be the _Avatar_ and shine like a beacon, like a lightning rod," Asami says, walking over to sit on the bed again. "You're _my_ lightning rod and you're… you're _you_."

Asami kisses her fiercely on the lips. Korra dares to reach for her neck, knowing Asami will probably pull back, but the inventor does not. She pushes Korra onto her back and takes off her shirt.

[X]

Downstairs, Mai and Ozai stand alone in her bedroom. They at first are silent, unable to say much. What are you _supposed_ to say in this situation?

"You can't really be that angry," Ozai growls, setting his hands on her arms. "Not angry enough to make this kind of sacrifice."

"I guess I am that angry," Mai breathes. "You made your bed when you decided on that Quarter Quell. I mean, I needed some convincing."

"From who?" Ozai snarls.

"Azula. Who else? She made a very good case for why I should do it. I know I wanted to do _something_ about it, and I would rather die and lose this baby than give birth to it in the middle of a war," Mai whispers. "I would rather die than live five more seconds in chains." She does not know if she means all of that. Mai _feels_ those thoughts, but she knows she has been happy in her life. Maybe not _happy_ , but contented. So she adds, "I've not been unhappy in our life. Far from it. If it weren't for the Quell, I would have kept living it."

"Azula convinced you?" Ozai demands. "What did she tell you? That she was forced to do this? That it was my idea? Now, I can't disagree with her statements about nostalgia making good television, but I wouldn't have thought of this Quell without her."

Mai does not want to believe him. Yet, she knows Azula, and she knows how Azula has been behaving for so many months…

"Even she wouldn't," Mai says as strongly as she can manage. She cannot hide her lack of confidence in that assertion.

" _We_ promised not to lie to each other. Don't you remember?" Silence. "I won't demand or beg you to believe me, but I think you know that this is something she would do. Whose idea was it for those _inspiring_ volunteers like yourself? Who has nothing to lose if she kills off other victors? I think I have more use for them than she does. Who wins either way? She can be a rebel hero or my dutiful daughter, depending on the outcome."

Mai hesitates and swallows. "I don't care whose idea it was."

"Of course. Enjoy being a piece in her game. It's going to be much more painful than being a piece in mine," says Ozai, and Mai sees a glint in his eyes. She sees that accidents do not happen in the United Republic. She sees a man who destroyed everything she loved.

"Did you kill Kanona?" Mai demands, grabbing the front of his shirt. He does not pull back or strike her. She does not know why.

"You're a smart girl. Figure it out," Ozai says. "I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were…"

"Oh, well, that just makes it all so much better." Mai's emotion rises like a tsunami of electricity surging through her body.

"Don't be that way. This might be your last night alive; _try_ to savor it with me." He grabs her and kisses her.

The rage erupts, because it might be her last night alive and she is going to savor it. She does not need to comply anymore, just like the rest of the victors who all have spoken their minds tonight. She can fucking rebel all she wants because she is going into that arena and not coming out.

That is along the lines of her rapid reasoning when she bites a chunk out of his lower lip.

He grabs her by the neck and slams her back against the wall, but as he loosens his grip and she catches her breath she just breathlessly says, "It isn't like it makes much of a difference."

"I do actually love you," he says softly, his lips almost touching her neck. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I only hope that when you go, you go quickly."

He releases her at last and walks out of the room.

Mai stays frozen in place, not even wiping her mouth.

She thinks he may have remained faithful to their promise not to lie to each other, and that is a frightening thought.

[X]

In the morning, Azula walks alone to her now-underground platform. It lurks in a solitary portion of the metal coffin. She wonders why they made that change. Did they fear the victors being too close together? She does not know.

When she turns around, she sees Ty Lee, her only visitor.

"Asami is with Korra, so I thought I'd be with you," Ty Lee says, grabbing Azula's hands. "It only seems right."

Ty Lee kisses her, and as she pulls away, touches her fingers to the pin on Azula's sleeve. She hopes her phoenix can be reborn, that she will leave the arena, that the trinket _is_ lucky like people joke it could be.

"I am coming back to you." One way or another, with the rebels or with Ozai, Azula will return to Ty Lee. They will get married and live happily ever after. Whichever side Azula chooses in that Arena, she will not let them keep Ty Lee from her.

"You promise?" Ty Lee whispers, holding Azula's hands again, as if she is afraid she will float away. "You _promise_?"

"Of course. I designed the Arena, and I will conquer it." Azula presses her lips against Ty Lee's once more and, when the buzzer rings, steps back onto her platform.

"Azula—I love you," Ty Lee frantically says, smiling.

"I know," Azula replies, winking.

The heavy-duty material of the tube closes around her. Ty Lee presses her palm against it and Azula returns the gesture. Their eyes lock lovingly. They have only these few moments.

Suddenly, Ty Lee's hand is gone. It takes Azula a second to see that Ty Lee has been yanked backwards by four peacekeepers. Ty Lee screams, a sound muffled by Azula's coffin. Azula bangs against it, trying to melt it against all odds.

She sees blood trickling from the lips of her fiancée as the peacekeepers drag her away, and Azula's platform rises into the Arena.

And Azula is screaming, and screaming, and then she is silent.

Disoriented by her sudden arrival to elsewhere, Azula feels briefly like she woke up on a rainy day from a horrific nightmare, until the adrenaline starts to pulse through her veins. She glances around slowly, attempting to figure out what she should do when that gun goes off, but everyone looks like a blur. Her hands tremble like leaves as she fails to conceal how shaken she is, and she tries to find something to look at to remove the bloody scene that is burned into her retinas.

The first thing Azula notices after clearing her head of a potentially dead escort is how grey the lighting of the arena is. It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the exact opposite of the neon chrome Capitol. The grey light comes from the ceiling, or, well, the sky above the arena. It is storm clouds, and they look about to burst at any moment.

The infinite storm is vital to both Ozai and the rebels' plans. So is the long, long stretch of water surrounding the platforms. Metal spokes lead to the shimmering Sanctuary Square, a lethal run if you are not a strong swimmer or talented fighter.

Pitch black mist surrounds the pool. Within it, nightmares like the Harmony Games have never seen hungrily await the tributes.

It is just as Azula imagined.

It is just as Azula promised two sides of an emerging war.

And, after what Ozai did to Ty Lee, Azula at last knows whose side she is on.


	21. Interlude 4: Zuko

**Interlude Four  
The 60** **th** **Annual Harmony Games**

* * *

 _"_ _Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters.  
Their silence is your answer."  
-Mass Effect 3-_

* * *

" _Are you, are you coming to the tree / they strung up a man / they say who murdered three,"_ sings fourteen-year-old Zuko as he strums his guitar. " _Strange things did happen here / no stranger would it be / if we met at midnight in the hanging tree…_ "

The night is cold and dark and Zuko's fire barely warms the friends surrounding him. He is used to the chill that falls over the prairie at night, but they shiver.

" _Are you, are you coming to the tree / where a dead man called out for his love to flee / strange things did happen here / no stranger would it be / if we met at midnight in the hanging tree…"_

"I doubt that story is true," Mai says, interrupting. She always has been… not disliking the song, and so Zuko is startled.

The song always was important to his childhood. His father said he sang it to his mother and that was how they fell in love. His mother is still alive, somewhere in the Capitol. His father—a deceased peacekeeper, and former friend of Mai's dad—had been to the Capitol for two weeks when being honored for silencing a dangerous series of protests in District 9. He met a beautiful woman there and nine months after he returned to 9, she showed up with a baby in her arms.

And she returned to the Capitol, leaving Zuko with his father. Leaving Zuko to starve, which he tried not to think about. He probably would never meet her… but sometimes he wanted to find her.

"My dad said it was, and Ja showed me the tree," says Zuko, although he knows the story is probably merely a legend.

"Take us to the tree," begs Hulin, a rail-thin boy thirteen-year-old who sits directly across from the orphaned musician.

Zuko counts the people around him. Five. That is way too many to sneak under the fence.

"I'm scared," say four of them, and so Zuko is left with a modest three.

Mai, of course, does not leave. He doubts she is afraid of anything in this world. Hulin is a scaredy-cat but Zuko knows he wants to see the Hanging Tree. Kanona will stay with Mai until the end of the night; that is how she operates. The former is ten and the latter is twelve and neither could tip a scale at seventy pounds soaking wet.

Zuko leaps up, swings his guitar over his back and nods for the kids to follow him.

He is the only person desperate enough to find a way out of District 9. After his parents died and he escaped the prison called an orphanage, he needed to learn how to find food. First, he begged and scavenged for scraps around town. One night, when a man called him vermin and threatened to call peacekeepers, an older boy stumbled across Zuko and taught him to hunt.

District 9 is a prairie loaded with rodents, snakes and not much else. The woods outside of it are ample and provide the intrigue of ruins and a far larger menu.

It is there that the older guy, Ja, showed him the Hanging Tree.

He takes Mai, Kanona and Hulin on the walk with only his own fire to light their way. Mai holds a rock to defend himself; Hulin holds onto the little girls.

The sturdy red maple towers above the teenager and two preteens.

"That's the tree," says Zuko. He holds out a hand to Mai, since Hulin shies away the moment he sees Zuko looking at him. "Want to climb it?"

"I'm not really a _climber_ ," dryly replies Mai, but Zuko will not take no for an answer.

She lets him pull her towards the tree, dropping the rock by accident, but when she reaches back for it, he tugs on her arm. Mai turns away from it as Zuko tries to figure out how to climb with one hand.

Glancing down at the ground, Mai wriggles out of his grasp.

"You climb it." She glances at the shadows around her. "I need to find my rock."

[X]

The next day, Zuko wakes beside the dead fire. His guitar is tucked by his side and his bag of belongings beneath his head as a pillow. He has had nowhere to live since his parents died in a mining accident and refused to go to the community home.

So, he camps out by the fence, where no one bothers looking.

During the day, it is fine. He finds food somehow. He makes friends. During the night, it is nightmarish. He nearly dies of the cold. He finds a way to keep himself warm.

Zuko can take care of himself.

Unfortunately, even a runaway cannot avoid Reaping Day.

[X]

Kiri Bian draws the names of Zuko Agni and Hulin Cyan.

Zuko remains cold and strong, as much as he can. He feels fear, but he has never shown it in his life. The District 9 mentor, Fujita Fan, sees the face of a Victor on an underfed tribute. He has been through the wringer and survived; that much she can tell. Maybe he has a chance, she thinks.

Minutes later, as he sits in the Justice Building without expecting a single visitor, Mai walks through the doors. She hands him a tied rope bracelet and presses it into his hand.

"Kanona has a crush on you," Mai dryly says, and Zuko starts to laugh. "I won't tell her you did that."

"No, I'm not—I'm not laughing because she has a crush on me or anything. You just are really… you…" Zuko blushes.

Mai reacts with instant sarcasm. "I didn't notice that I'm me. Wow, what a revelation."

Zuko clears his throat and nods at her. "Well, before I go, I want to say that I don't have a crush on Kanona really but she's great," he stammers, his heart racing. He is very glad there are no cameras.

"I'll tell her you professed your undying love," Mai replies, averting her eyes.

"I actually, really, do have a crush on someone, and she's…" Zuko notices that Mai is paying attention to him and wants to bail out on this conversation. "She's really great."

"Good for her." Mai would rather be anywhere but here.

"And I want you to know that I… care about you…" Zuko needs to stop now. He _really_ knows he needs to stop now. "And that my… my stomach hurts."

Mai just shakes her head. "Wear the stupid bracelet."

She leaves, and he thinks she knows what he was trying to say.

[X]

On the train, Zuko's mentor Fujita Fan looks upon her tributes with sadness in her tawny eyes, as she does every year. She _is_ a failed mentor in many ways, having won the Games twenty years ago and failing to produce a single victor. Then again, no one in 9 blames her; they just are not cut out for the Games.

"Do you two know each other?" she inquires, glancing between the two boys.

Hulin only frowns, leaving Zuko to explain.

Zuko says bluntly, "He's my best friend."

"You like Mai better," Hulin loudly protests, but Zuko shakes his head.

"I mean, I like you and her and Kanona too. But, uh…" Zuko rubs his neck, not noticing the falling expression of Fujita Fan. She knows that they will no longer be friends once they enter the Arena, and if they are, they will both die.

"Yeah. We're friends until the end," Hulin says with a grimace.

Zuko averts his eyes.

Thankfully, Fujita changes the course of conversation.

"We should talk about your strategies. Can either of you bend?"

Zuko raises his hand; Hulin does not.

[X]

As he watches, Zuko takes note of only one Reaping. It is District 1. He expects to be scared by careers, but, instead, he sees one girl of fourteen Reaped, and one of sixteen volunteering. The elder looks trained, but her eyes look pained. The first girl is clearly blinking back tears.

Why does no one volunteer for her?

Why do they not have careers lined up to take her place?

He finds out the answer when Varrick makes commentary. The girl's father is a victor, and the other girl is her cousin.

"They don't volunteer for legacy tributes. It's considered an act of disrespect," says Fujita.

Zuko just nods.

[X]

Zuko's stylist stares at him for an uncomfortable period of time. He waits, uncomfortable from the long and invasive prep session. He squirms in his seat as she screws up her face in thought.

"My idea isn't going to work. It would cover you too much," she at last says, tapping her chin with one spindly finger. Her eerily long nails are striped with bright pink and blue.

"Why won't it work?" Zuko asks, concealing his anxiety.

"Oh, has no one ever told you?" Her lips twitch at his befuddled face. "You are _very_ handsome, just absolutely beautiful. My spirits, I don't think there's a girl alive who wouldn't bet on you once they see your face. And those _eyes_. Your hair could use a little work, but I want to keep it messy and on the longer side." She clears her throat. "When it comes to clothes, well, your muscles are possibly your best feature. You look buffer than a career tribute."

Zuko is stunned by the conversation about his looks, but his stylist is a gorgeous woman in her twenties, so he certainly will not complain about it. He asks, blushing, "So, what's the new plan?"

His stylist eagerly answers, "I am going to paint you with shimmering gold. It represents electricity well enough, doesn't it?"

"Sure," he says, rubbing his neck.

[X]

When Zuko arrives, Hulin is in a jumpsuit with flashing orbs of light. Zuko imagines it is what was planned for him as well. It always is the same. Flashing lights, a black dress for a girl, a black imitation of an electric plant worker's jumpsuit for boys.

Zuko lacks the shirt, replaced with golden glitter. The pants of the jumpsuit hang loose on him and a single dark strap holds them up over his broad shoulder. She chopped his hair but it is tousled and not tied up like a respectable boy from 9.

He steps onto the chariot.

They scream his name.

[X]

All the talk is about Zuko Agni and how beautiful he is. No one says anything about his life; no one knows anything about it. His odds from the chariots alone are head and shoulders above anyone else from District 9, solely because his name is on the lips of everyone who is anyone.

On his first day of training, everyone watches him, studying a threat. The tributes from 2 and 4 look the most dangerous, and they have already formed an alliance. The two girls in that pack steal a glance or two, but do not act like the other tributes.

District 1 does not train with them; the two cousins run right to Zuko. He remembers them more than any other tribute, and they remember him. They also happen to be gorgeous.

"I would _love_ to be your training buddy," says the Earth tribute.

The Fire tribute ones just smiles at him as they drag him to target practice.

Neither can bend, but Arati—the Earth tribute—is skilled with knives and Ame—the Fire tribute—is very talented with a spear. He shows his bending, although he holds back enough to save some surprises. They fawn over him and compliment every burst of fire, no matter how weak.

The two girls are cousins, but they do not show much pain over having to kill each other.

When he goes back to his suite that evening, he turns on the television to hear a famous female talk show host who sometimes co-stars with Varrick going on about Zuko-mania. Never has Zuko even thought about the idea that he could be attractive.

But apparently, he is just what the Capitol desires.

He turns to his mentor and says, "The girls from District 1 want to have an alliance with me. I wonder if they're tricking me or something."

Fujita laughs. "You're so naïve. You already have a list of sponsors; being your ally is desirable. Not to mention it seems a lot of people find you irresistible. I'm not surprised by that offer, and you should take it."

"I will," says Zuko.

The Capitol is weird.

[X]

Zuko goes into the judgment and performs a few bending moves, but they pay him little mind; the gamemakers are underwhelmed by him and tired from watching every single other tribute before him.

When he arrives at the suite, he collapses on the sofa, defeated. He never knew about his magical looks, but he does know that they cannot take him further than a few fans. His bending is good, but not devastatingly impressive, and he did not steal a second of their attention.

"They didn't even look at me," he sadly remarks, and Fujita pats his shoulder.

Hulin receives a three.

Zuko receives a seven.

"Why?" he demands, gilded eyes wide.

"Because you'll get sponsors. You either are brawny, cunning or charismatic. Your looks give you enough of the last one," says Fujita.

"That doesn't mean I'll survive."

Fujita says nothing.

[X]

On the interview night, Zuko wears his tie loose and a few buttons of his shirt undone as his stylist insists, but is fully dressed. Not like Ame; her dress is translucent. He watches her more than the other tributes, but they all seem to offer one thing or another.

He is not good with words, even though Fujita and Kiri coached him.

Varrick calls him up and announces Zuko's name. He sits down, blinded by the lights. Once his eyes adjust, he takes a slow breath and focuses on the audience. Zuko flashes an awkward smile and, for some reason, they love it.

"What's your favorite thing about the Capitol?" Varrick asks.

"The people, of course," says Zuko, hoping he sounds convincing. Fujita told him to say it.

"Well, the people love you too." Varrick gives a lopsided grin. "What do you offer the Games this year?"

"I can't give away my strategy. I want to surprise you all." Zuko winks. His other eye twitches slightly; he has never done this before, but Kiri said it would be an excellent move. She was right.

"When you enter the Arena, what would you say the most important thing to you is?"

Zuko was not tutored for this question, but he knows the answer. It has been in his mind since the moment Kiri drew his name from that bowl.

"I want to win honorably," he vehemently says. "I grew up an orphan much that I owned. I had an older friend who helped me figure the world out, and he told me about one thing that I owned no matter how much money I had and should _never_ lose. He said it was honor."

"And nothing brings a greater honor than winning the Games. Thank you, Zuko."

* * *

The Arena is cold.

Zuko feels it the moment he adjusts to his surroundings. The countdown serves as only background noise as he surveys his surroundings. It looks like home. He sees ruins and trees and the plain that the Sanctuary Square rests in the middle of.

Survival skills will be vital. Zuko glances over at Ame and Arati. They look back at him.

He takes a deep breath as the gun fires and the battle begins. Zuko runs to his allies and grabs their arms. As careers, they were headed to the Sanctuary Square, but Zuko has no intentions of getting killed… or losing his allies.

They run into the woods and Zuko breathes a soft sigh.

Zuko Agni is in his element.

[X]

The alliance of three beautiful teenagers finds a stream within the first thirty minutes of the Games. Ame constructs a water purifier from only her surroundings; she clearly has been preparing for her whole life. They have no food, but that is nothing to worry about at the moment.

The lack of weapons, however, angers Zuko's allies.

Ame complains, "I guess I'm supposed to use this rock as a weapon then."

Arati mockingly adds, "I found a stick. Maybe that's better."

Zuko rolls his eyes when they are gazing at each other and giggling. He sits in their hiding place and watches the sun set. Five cannons fire, the deaths from the bloodbath.

The weakest tributes are all dead, except Hulin. Zuko feels a wave of relief that his best friend is alive, even though it will make the Games harder for him.

"We can go back to the Sanctuary Square later, but I think 2 and 4 might have claimed it already," says Zuko. "They aren't in our alliance and I don't think we should work with them."'

"Good point," Ame states.

Moments after nightfall, the cold Arena becomes frigid. The gamemakers crank down the temperature to a point that would kill anyone without a survival plan. Ame and Arati shiver and Zuko says, "I'm a firebender. I can heat you two up. Not in a—that kind of way. Just because I can control my body temperature and I've slept outside in a really cold wild for years."

Ame does not hesitate, and tugs Arati along with her.

They cuddle against Zuko.

Only Arati sleeps.

So Zuko whispers, "Ame, how are you two cousins?"

She smiles at him and he would not know that she was laughing if she did not shake with the silent giggles. "Um, my dad is her mom's brother. How else?"

Zuko blushes, even in the bitter cold. "I guess I just was wondering about her dad or something."

"Yeah, she lives with us because he's so messed up. He's on drugs and her mom is a real bad enabler with her own issues. She's basically my sister or something. Kinda more like my kid though, because I take care of her that way." Ame shrugs.

Zuko says, hoping to be sensitive, "I can't imagine going into the Harmony Games with my child."

"That's how it feels, but we both know the risks. We both went to the Academy and have dreamed of the honor for our entire lives. You obviously understand that."

"When I say honor, I don't mean it that way. I mean upholding values and doing honorable things. The crown doesn't matter as much to me as staying alive. I'm not ready to die yet."

"How weird," says Ame. "You don't care at all about being a victor?"

"I care about being a survivor."

Three cannons fire that first night; they are not survivors.

[X]

In the morning, silver packages fall from the sky. Arati reaches up and catches one, while the other settles on Ame's lap.

Ame picks up a spear; Arati unwraps knives.

They smile at Zuko. He does not know why until Ame hands him a small white card.

 _For the allies of Zuko Agni._

[X]

The trio lingers too long in their tiny valley. The gamemakers have no desire to let them bore the world; looks are not enough if they do not fight.

Zuko jumps to his feet when the stream erupts with cold water. Arati sinks; Ame reaches for the edge of the valley. When Zuko dives down for Arati, Ame futilely scrapes her fingers against the metal walls that rise from the dirt.

Once Zuko has Arati in his arm, he taps on Ame and begins to swim.

The two girls rush with him as they follow the current. It sweeps them to a bank they climb on, but they find the career pack, soaking wet but alive, recovering from their unexpected swim.

Arati raises her knives and Ame her spear. Zuko coughs and readies his hands for a fight.

The girl from 2 fights first. She takes down Arati in seconds, dodging a single knife and hitting her in the shoulder with a fireball. Zuko lunges to block any other moves but tendrils rise from the stream and pull him to the ground; it is the boy from the same district. The tributes from 4 run, abandoning their allies.

Zuko does not know why until he hears a shrill scream and the _bang_ of a cannon.

The girl from 2 lies dead before him, killed by a Ame's spear.

When the boy turns to look, his grip on the water weakens and Zuko breaks free. He tackles the boy and pins him to the ground. As they wrestle and Ame checks on Arati, the temperature begins to drop again. Even Zuko shivers from his sopping wet clothes.

The boy lies down, hypothermia staying his hand.

Zuko raises a hand to strike but steps back.

"Zuko!" screams Ame.

"I'm not killing him while he's freezing on the ground. It's not honorable."

Ame gives her opinion on the matter by shoving her ally aside and plunging the spear into the shivering boy's chest.

 _Bang_.

She turns to Zuko. "Help me with Arati."

He gazes at the two bodies, eyes open, glassy and vacant.

The girl from 2 is so tiny and frail. She must be about thirteen, and Zuko does not see it until she is dead.

Ame makes a snarling sound and Zuko hastily picks up Arati to carry her into the forest.

[X]

Zuko dries the clothes of the girls and helps keep them warm—especially Arati—in the frigid temperature. No cannons sound despite the shift in climate, which gives Zuko the indication that only the strongest remain.

As he worries about that, a silver package containing medicine falls from the sky into Zuko's hands. A second parachute contains water bottles and iodine tablets. He picks up another note that tells him, _From a secret admirer_.

He gives the jar to Ame and she applies it to her cousin's wound. It instantly heals, but Arati is still faint and dizzy.

Ame embraces her cousin and leans back against Zuko.

"We need to kill the tributes from 4. Then we can go our separate ways," whispers the tribute from District 1. Zuko feels uneasy about it.

He inquires against his better judgment, "What about the two from 3 and the one from 5 and Hulin?"

"They're not a threat," Ame bluntly replies. "We can take them easily if the others or the Arena don't kill them first."

"I trust you," says Zuko, although he is not sure if he means it.

He lies there with her and it must be an attractive enough portrait for the audience, because another trap does not spring until morning.

Ame shakes Zuko awake. It is the first time he has slept since he got into the Arena, but even Arati is on her feet. She grabs Zuko by the hand and starts to run, taking Arati with her.

"The fog," she gasps out as Zuko looks at her, bewildered, "the fog burnt my hand."

Zuko turns and sees it approaching. In its wake, it leaves frozen foliage.

"Frostbite," he whispers, taking a moment to look down at Ame's hand. Definitely frostbite.

The fog engulfs all as they arrive at a fork in the beaten down path. He sees the tributes from 3 running from the same natural disaster.

Zuko just grabs his allies and keeps running. Arati shoves one from 3 that grabs at her and he screams, falling into the fog before the cannon sounds. Then Arati screams, trying to shake off the vengeful other.

He pries Arati free, pushing on Ame to keep her running. In one kick, he slams the tribute into the fog, leaving him to meet the same fate as his district partner. _Bang_.

Zuko picks up Arati and they run until they reach the plains.

The fog recedes into the forest and they stand almost alone.

The plain is deserted aside from the tributes from 4, who sit around the Sanctuary Square with a stockpile of food, survival supplies and weapons.

Arati raises her hand to throw a knife, but Zuko stops her.

"We don't stand a chance right now. We're tired, dehydrated and don't have any weapons. They'll kill us unless we lure them back into the woods."

"How?" Ame asks.

"You two go into the woods opposite the fog and take cover behind trees. Hopefully that trap is over. I'll let them chase me and you two take them down."

The girls nod and scurry to the forest. Zuko strides forward and lights both of his hands with bright orange fire.

When they see him, the tributes from 4 jump down from their seats atop the Sanctuary Square and seize weapons. They have bending, swords and bows. Zuko might be screwed, but he throws a few balls of fire at them before running towards Ame and Arati.

The remaining careers race after him and he barely outruns them.

Arati and Ame emerge from the trees as soon as the tributes from 4 hit the shade of the forest. Zuko stands in the middle as a spear pierces the boy's neck and knives slash the girl.

Zuko burns her, and she rolls over on her side. He raises his hand to strike if she stands, but she does not.

"Just do it," spits the girl, blood trickling from her lips. "Don't be a coward."

"Stand up and fight me. I won't kill you while you're hurt," orders Zuko, stepping back and broadening his stance.

The girl from 4 shakes her head with a twisted smirk and pushes herself to her feet. She lunges at Zuko and he takes her down with a surge of fire. _Bang_.

Zuko turns to Ame and Arati and sees their eyes bulging.

It takes him a moment to see what they do and hear what they hear.

Mutts. An army of wolf-like creatures.

Zuko grabs Ame and throws her over his shoulder. He shouts, "Grab Arati!" and swiftly checks to make sure Ame has her in hand. The three of them run away from the stampede of mutts.

They see the tributes from 7 on their way. A cannon fires, so Zuko knows one has met death, but he is clueless about the other. It seems that the Gamemakers have not culled enough tributes because the mutts maintain their pursuit.

Another cannon fires and he hears Ame scream. Zuko cannot think about it until they swing around a corner and an explosion detonates the mutts the Gamemakers unleashed. He cannot see anything but dust and darkness at first and cannot hear anything but the ringing in his ears.

Then he looks up and sees that just Ame lies by his side. She looks up and says something to him with tears rolling into her mouth.

He does not have to be able to hear her to know whose cannon fired second.

[X]

Deep in the forest and two of the final four, Zuko and Ame say nothing until the faces flash in the sky and Arati is one of them.

"What happened?" he asks quietly.

Ame turns to him and takes in a shuddering breath. Tears stream from her eyes and he wishes he knew how to make them go away. "I let go of her. You kept _running_. I tried to stop you and turn around for her but you just kept _running_!"

"It was _loud_ ," snarls Zuko, his face now bright red, "and chaotic. I saved your life! I didn't have to!"

Ame purses her lips and turns away. He exhales smoke as he watches the lights fade and hears the anthem play.

"I could've saved me and Arati both," she whispers, then she stands up and turns to face him. It is the dead of the night and the temperature is about to drop significantly. "But in this Arena, you're a really good ally, and there are seven really dangerous other people here."

It was the mutts. He could not hear over them or think about anything but escaping. He would not kill Arati, even if Ame believes he did.

"I wouldn't have let her die when she's my ally, and not that way even if she wasn't. I swear. I'm playing these Games with honor and I wouldn't…"

Ame gives him a wounded look that makes him stop talking. She does curl around him when it gets cold enough, but she says nothing.

Her first words are just as Zuko is beginning to fall asleep.

"One thousand and sixteen," she whispers.

"What?"

"One thousand and sixteen children have died in the Games, and at least three more will. One of the dead was my cousin, my sister, my child…"

"I don't see your point."

Ame licks her lips and is mute for a few moments.

"You keep saying you'll play with honor, like that absolves you of any guilt. You talk about being honorable as if it makes you any better or worse than anybody else who's ever been Reaped. Stand in this Arena, in the graveyard of one thousand and sixteen dead children and ask the ghosts if honor matters." Pause. "Their silence is your answer."

Zuko stares at the artificial stars.

He does not sleep that night.

[X]

In the morning, he pretends to be asleep as Ame stands up. She raises one of Arati's knives above him and he reaches up, seizing her by the wrist and flipping her onto her back. The winds knocked out of her, she gasps.

"We'll meet again," Zuko says before running from her.

She does not follow him.

[X]

After Zuko runs out of energy, he sinks behind a thick tree.

At dusk cannon fires; it is the work of Ame, he knows.

He sees in the sky that it was the tribute from 8. So, only he Hulin and Ame remain. This is the first time two tributes from District 9 have made it to the final three. In fact, it is the only second time that _one_ has reached this point.

He stands and begins to walk. The finales love to be near the Sanctuary Square. The gamemakers usually force the tributes to make it there, and he will not risk dying from one of the traps.

As Zuko walks, he thinks about how he is one of the final three. At first, he is overjoyed and relieved. Then, he thinks about the one thousand and seventeen kids who have died in the Harmony Games. He does not know the math of how many of them made it to the final three, but he knows it would be a depressing figure.

Zuko reaches the Sanctuary Square and catches Ame and Hulin in combat. Hulin runs and dodges and is faster than her, but the slashes from her spear may prove deadly.

A sneak attack from behind is dishonorable, but he raises his hands.

The one thousand and seventeen ghosts are still silent.

He hits Ame from behind and she screams from the burn, alive but knocked to the ground. Hulin looks up at Zuko. They lock eyes. Hulin gazes imploringly, asking Zuko to sacrifice himself. But before Zuko could consider such a thing, Hulin hits the ground and a cannon fires.

Ame stabbed him through the spine with a sword from the Sanctuary Square.

"See, now you don't have to worry about anyone in your District thinking you're not an honorable man. It would be so shameful to kill your own District partner…" Ame says, shaking with those silent giggles again. He thinks she may have lost her mind.

Zuko takes a few steps back. Ame takes a few steps forward.

"One thousand and eighteen," Zuko says, meeting her gaze. She clutches her abdomen, in agonizing pain from the burn.

Ame glares at him. "One thousand and nineteen."

She reaches down in a flash; Zuko lights his hands as fast as possible.

He dodges a spear, but ignites the grass when he falls. The dried plain burns fiercer than it should; this is engineered by the gamemakers. He stands from the fire as it rapidly approaches Ame. She screams and begins to climb the Sanctuary Square. The flames follow her.

Zuko runs, blocking as much fire as he can. When he reaches the center of the plain, Ame kicks him down.

He howls from the pain against his face. He could not block all of himself at one time.

Zuko rolls over, gasping, panicked. He has never felt pain as horrific as this. He will die, he will hear his cannon; no one could feel this agonized and live.

The fire recedes.

Despite his blurred vision, he sees a silver package fall. Ame still stands on higher ground, but without a weapon left. She jumps down and races him to it, staggering on her feet as he crawls and cries, the tears stinging his already pained wound.

Zuko gets there first. He tears it open and grabs the pearly knife with his shaking hands.

As Ame lunges at him, he pierces it through her neck. She gasps and sputters and stumbles.

 _Bang_.

Zuko lies down and his world fades into darkness.

[X]

When Zuko wakes, he is halfway through reparative procedures. The nurse looks at him and holds up a hand to stop the doctor. Zuko sits up, fighting restraints and sedatives to make a demand that a victor should have granted.

"Is something wrong?" the nurse sweetly inquires, adjusting her hair when she sees him.

"I want to keep the scarring on my face," Zuko rasps.

"Oh, but you're such a handsome boy," she protests, grimacing at the remaining disfigurements she and the surgeons are bidden to repair.

Zuko growls as fiercely as he can, "I said I want to keep the scar."

They obey him, although everyone calls him crazy for marring his beauty.

The thing is, Zuko keeps the scar for exactly that reason.

He wants to tarnish the face that sparked mania in the Capitol.


	22. Book 2: Kiss Me for the Cameras

**Chapter Twelve  
Kiss Me for the Cameras**

* * *

 _"_ _A kiss may ruin a human life."  
-Oscar Wilde-_

* * *

After the gun fires, Korra runs directly at the Sanctuary Square. She does not like the looks of the black mist and does not know if there will be food, water or any necessities of life within. She needs one of the packs with survival gear.

Azula is gone, as are Katara, Bolin and Kya. She tries not to think about that; it is not _her_ alliance, anyway. When she reaches the center, narrowly avoiding a dangerous slip, Hyunara grabs her by the throat and smashes her against the still closed Sanctuary Square. It knocks the winds out of her as she scrambles to stand.

Korra's eyes widen as they rest on fangs, but then Hyunara screams and falls into the water. Zuko grabs the Avatar and throws her over his shoulder without asking her opinion on being carried. Korra sees that Mai threw the knife that sent Hyunara flying into the dark depths.

"You are so stupid," Mai mutters at Korra as the trio runs towards the mist.

Opal meets them right before they enter the darkness.

[X]

Azula and Katara, separated from the others in their alliance, enter the mist and are transported to another place. Katara recognizes it as the setting of the 70th Games.

"You rebuilt your own Arena?" Katara disgustedly demands, cocking an eyebrow.

"No. I just ran into this sector because I know I can survive it best. Sit down with me," Azula orders. "We are going to sit still until sunrise, and I will explain the Arena too you."

Katara begrudgingly complies, her back pressed against a metal tree, with Azula beside her.

"So…?" Katara asks. Azula is shaking and looks far away from where she needs to be.

"There are eighteen Arenas within this one. We rebuilt—somewhat rebuilt—the Arenas and fan favorite traps of every tribute," Azula explains, her voice oddly muted. "There are four entrances through the 70th, 60th, 59th and 42nd. Those are the only access points."

"This arena has to be too big," Katara says. "We're not going to kill each other fast enough."

"It's smaller than you think," says Azula, prying her thoughts away from the blood dripping from Ty Lee's lips.

She cannot get it out of her head. Every time she loses her focus, it is all she can think about.

Katara protests, "I could get lost in _one_ of the eighteen projections."

Azula reaches to her sleeve and removes the phoenix pin. She brushes the dirt smooth and sets the beak to the ground. First, she sketches a circle, then a circle inside of it, then divides the inner circle into eighteen triangles. She numbers them, and then looks up at Katara.

"This is the arena, essentially. The projections look huge but they are all fairly small… however even the size edits don't matter. See the outer ring? It's all water. That's what keeps the perpetual storm going. When a tribute dies, the projection fades, a small flood soaks the area and the storm shocks it, electrocuting anyone unfortunate enough to be standing there. The water then recedes back into the outer ring. You hear a cannon and the hologram is replaced by a small metal strip about six feet across."

"So, we have no idea where anyone else is or if there are any of those bridges. Wonderful." Katara sighs.

The anthem plays and the two girls snap up to stare at the sky.

District 6 and District 7 have been obliterated in one day. Everyone else is alive.

Azula turns to her diagram and sets her pin down on the dirt again. Katara turns to focus on it, ignoring the deaths of her friends to the best of her ability.

"We're _here_ ," Azula says, "and four tributes are dead here, here, here and here. That means there are four gaps between the projections that should be easy to cross. We are here. Or here. We're in this chunk, at least; I made sure it was directly behind my platform. I have no idea where everyone else is, but I hope that gives you some idea of how screwed we are."

"It does." Katara leans back and closes her eyes.

Azula runs her hand over the diagram, destroying it. She places her pin back on her sleeve and her fingers linger against the weathered gold. Ty Lee touched it. Before they took her away. Before Azula watched and knew she made a mistake. She was not protecting anyone but herself, and now she will pay.

She closes her eyes and tries to keep her silent tears hidden.

[X]

As the quartet steps through the black mist into elsewhere, "Where are we?" asks Opal, looking around.

"The Arena," Korra replies before clearing her throat. Opal, Mai and Zuko all are looking at her like she is stupid. Thankfully, the Avatar remembers the videos that Azula made her watch. "Oh, this is the Arena of the 59th. It's Suki's Games."

"Why would they recreate hers?" uneasily whispers Opal. "It doesn't feel right."

"It's a hologram," Mai coldly says, "and we have to get to the 74th. While we were in the combat simulator Azula told me to make sure our alliance met there."

"What?" Opal asks, cocking an eyebrow.

Mai begrudgingly explains, "There are eighteen Arenas, arranged in a circle. We have to find our way to a specific one."

"Which direction is the 74th?" asks Zuko, glancing from side to side.

All he sees is this Arena.

"Well, it's a circle," bitterly says Mai, "and I didn't design it. I have no clue."

"We should stay in this one for the night, I think," Opal sweetly suggests, trying to hold this powder keg of an alliance together before they encounter a spark.

"Fine," Mai replies. "Korra, since you're such an expert, tell us any popular traps from those Games."

Korra grimaces. She wishes she was with any other tributes. Korra would even take Hyunara at this point. "Well, see, her Games were really boring."

"Ugh. I am stuck in the worst alliance in the history of the Harmony Games," Mai snaps. "Well, not you, Opal, you're okay. Nauseatingly friendly, but okay. But you two are my absolute least favorite people in this world, and I can kill you both right now with no real consequences. I mean, fine, I promised to help Korra survive and maybe I'm okay with that, but it isn't like anybody needs Zuko."

Mai raises her bow before Korra and Opal can react, but when Zuko raises a hand to stop her, she sees his District token and lowers her weapon. Opal audibly breathes a sigh of relief, while Korra narrows her eyes.

Zuko asks, "What made you change your mind?"

"Your hideous bracelet," says Mai softly, running her fingers over her bow.

"Hideous?" Zuko flashes a brief smile. "You're the one who made it."

"Kanona made it," coldly argues Mai, slipping her arrow back into its quiver.

"We both know that you made it," says Zuko, "and we both know it wasn't Kanona who had a crush on me like you said."

Mai sighs. "Keep dreaming and keep walking."

[X]

Katara and Azula have been hiding in utter silence for a lengthy period of time when the first trap goes off. Azula jumps up first, the moment she hears the groan of metal.

"Run. And run _fast_ ," Azula orders, grabbing Katara's arm and narrowly escaping the metal walls beginning to close in on them.

They run towards the edge of the Arena, seeing as Azula insisted on staying here until the rest of their alliance either died or arrived.

The two girls come to a stop in front of the waterfall. Azula stands still, wondering if it will go off. When it does, she nearly takes a similar spill to her last encounter, but Katara bends the blast of water and forces it into the pond. The rocks finish crumbling and the tributes sit down.

After two breathless minutes, a cannon fires elsewhere.

"They must have set off more than one," Azula whispers.

"Or someone got killed," whispers Katara, hoping and praying it is not her dad.

"Or that," says Azula.

"I think the Arena will kill the most people this year. There are too many friends here and too many hesitations," Azula cavalierly states. "That was what we planned."

Katara averts her eyes.

She does not want to look at this awful girl.

[X]

Azula wakes up after mere minutes of sleep. She knew she could not truly rest, even with Katara promising to be on watch. Azula does not trust the girl.

She looks up at the night sky and thinks about the image she cannot ever forget.

Ty Lee is probably dead. It is probably best if Ty Lee is dead.

Nothing hurts more than waking up and knowing you should have tried. You should have done more. You should have known that she was worth the fight.

But, now, as Azula prepares to side with the rebels, she knows that she is worth fighting _for_.

Vengeance is worth fighting for, at least.

[X]

It rains. Azula intended for more weather effects this year. People always love them because they add to realism. Still, it makes her shake from the cold.

"H-Hama," is what she whispers as she shakes, locking eyes with a small camera.

Katara leans back and seals the rain shut above them. She is powerful enough to hold on, but she would love for her sponsors to offer a little help too.

Azula whispers, "I hate rain."

"I love rain," says Katara. "It's a cloud falling apart, you know? All its shattered pieces just raining down from the sky. It's good to know that I'm not the only thing that falls apart."

"Hama," Azula whispers, done with listening to Katara's poetry.

A silver parachute falls from the sky. Azula sighs from relief as she opens it. She finds two rain-proof jackets. She pulls hers on and feels a warmth flood through her.

Katara takes the other one and lets the rain fall as she puts her hood over her head.

[X]

When the rain stops, Azula turns to Katara as she pulls off her jacket. She needs to unite their alliance, and knows how.

"I told Mai to meet us here, and I wanted to consider this Arena safe since it will be alive as long as I am, but unless we start making out we're not very good television. Maybe we should—"

Katara cuts Azula off by kissing her, and sliding her hand behind her neck. It lasts far too long for either of their preferences.

"I know you were being a smartass, but you have a point about good television."

[X]

 _"_ _Was that real?" Ty Lee asked as Azula broke the kiss. "You don't love people. You just sleep with them. Please tell me; was that kiss real?"_

 _Azula thought,_ yes _, but she said, "No."_

 _Ty Lee smiled, because she knew the truth._

[X]

Meanwhile, Korra and her alliance hide in a cave. None feely fully comfortable in this insane Arena, but they know they need to rest and know that they will not be culled the first night. Mai sits with Zuko at the mouth of the cave. They are supposed to be on watch and Korra and Opal are supposed to be asleep, but Korra thinks no one will do much sleeping tonight.

"What's their story, anyway?" Korra asks, looking at the two vanguards.

"A complicated one," says Opal, attempting a smile and failing. "She doesn't hate him, I think, but she doesn't love him the way he wants to be loved."

"That's a pretty sucky feeling." Korra starts to think about Asami and has to force herself to stay strong. She cannot believe they took her, that they beat her unconscious. "I've felt it."

"I'm sorry," Opal says, and Korra discovers that everyone seems to know that Asami did not really love her. Everyone but herself.

Korra does manage to fall asleep, somehow. Opal lies down and pretends.

At the mouth of the cave, Zuko asks awkwardly, "Did you look at that necklace Kiri gave you?"

Mai pulls it from her shirt and holds the pendant in the palm of her hand. She opens it and the soft melody that plays gives Zuko chills. Inside is a picture of Mimi and a picture of her brother. To Mai, they conflict beyond belief. They are two very different people from two very different lives.

"It's pretty," Zuko says, rubbing his neck.

"It's from my District," Mai says, but he does not understand. "The Capitol. I've lived there for a very long time."

"Yeah," Zuko says. She snaps the locket shut and he cannot stop eyeing his own token. "You really did make this, right? Not Kanona."

"Well, we are in live television so I hate myself for saying this, but yes. I did make it for you and Kanona was not the one with the crush on you either. I choked." Mai tries to remember that life. It feels like a dream from long ago, not only fifteen years in the past.

Zuko laughs. "Well, I did too. I told you that my stomach hurt."

She begins to smile but stops and stares at her lap and remembers to keep her face blank. "I don't know why we never really acted on that. We had five years before I started hating you."

"The Games changed me," admits Zuko for the first time, "and I don't think I would've acted on it even if you would've. And I guess they changed you too."

"Yeah." Mai does not know what else to say.

"Look," states Zuko, uncomfortably licking his lips. "I'm not making it out of here alive, and I might die in a trap in ten minutes so maybe this would be a good time for you to indulge my dying wish and me honest with me about some stuff."

Mai shrugs. "Whatever. If you must know before you die, I want to tell you that I forgive you for how you acted before my Games. That was when I started to hate you, but it was unfair. You just wanted to save my life and I was… me."

"And how I acted after?" Zuko asks.

"Still on the fence about it," Mai says. "I understand why you're so infuriating and overbearing—you think you failed at protecting me or whatever—but I don't understand why you think you're entitled to my affections… or my gratitude or anything else. I don't owe you anything and I don't love you back."

"I got the hint that you don't love me back, but I can't stop myself from hoping that you will. I think if maybe I do the right thing or say the right thing or maybe one day you'll just see me differently." Zuko thinks it is an excuse. It is not, but Mai appreciates hearing _some_ form of remorse and self-awareness.

"That won't happen. Not because I hate you, because I don't really hate you no matter how much I hate ninety percent of your actions." Pause. "It's because I'm in love with someone else and I think I always will be."

"And…?" Zuko looks at her as if she must say more.

"And what?" asks Mai, looking away from him and to the eternal lightning storm that rages above. "That's it. That's the only reason, and I don't need a reason in the first place."

"Who is it?" Zuko asks, and Mai wonders if he is as dumb as he looks.

"Well," she says, already tired of this heart-to-heart, "this may come as a huge shock but the man I'm married to who is the father of my child… children. Maybe my children. I don't know if the second one is making it out of this."

Silence.

Zuko does not know what to say.

Maybe she is just doing it for the cameras.

Yeah, he tells himself, she must be doing it for the cameras.

[X]

 _Mai kissed President Shinohai at the Victory Tour Party of the 68_ _th_ _Harmony Games._

 _She was supposed to do that. There were cameras and a crowd. People were looking at them._

 _Mai told herself she was doing it for the cameras._

 _But… she knew her face betrayed her. She had a flicker of an expression of emotion, and she knew he saw it._

 _But… he had a look on his face that she knew. Not from him, not from the Capitol, not from anyone but victors and people who survived the death of those they loved. He looked like her kiss had broken him, and that reaction was breaking her._

 _His reaction was gone in an instant, but Mai knew she saw it._

 _"_ _You're getting good at this," he said, with a mocking smirk. "I almost believed that kiss was real."_

 _"_ _It was," she whispered, hesitating, her stomach twisting._

 _This was the moment she finally convinced him, as he told her to do._

 _It was also the moment she began trying to convince herself._

[X]

On the other side of the Arena, Mai is still on watch, but Zuko and Korra switched out.

As she sits in silence, Korra cannot stop thinking about Asami. She is probably dead. It is probably best that she is dead. They would do so much worse if they imprisoned her.

Korra is reaching the verge of tears when she hears an eerie tune playing softly in the night. She perks up, trying to remember if that was a trap, but sees that the sound is coming from the worst ally ever. The vanguard sitting next to her.

The quiet melody plays again and Korra turns to focus on Mai.

She holds the pendant of her locket, the shimmering gold chain still draped around her neck. She has it on the palm of her hand, and, within, are two pictures. When she closes it, and then pops it open again, which makes the tune sing softly again.

"That probably will draw attention to us."

"Yeah, probably," Mai softly says. "My District's escort isn't very smart. I don't think she put much tactical thought into the locket."

Korra tries to think of something to say. She is not stellar at this kind of conversation.

"Thanks for not killing me," Korra says. It is a weird conversation starter, but it is one.

"Night's not over yet," Mai replies. She then stands. "And I'm going to find Azula."

"Take me with you," Korra pleads, barely remembering to whisper.

Mai says, adjusting the bow on her back, "I was planning on going alone."

"But I can bend all four elements and I'm awesome company." Korra leaps to her feet.

"Only one of those things is true, but I did agree to the keeping-Korra-alive pact, so you can join me. Unless you get annoying, in which case, you are on your own."

"I won't be annoying; I promise."

"I'm going back to the Sanctuary Square. We need better supplies and I want to figure the Arena out. Hurry up."

Korra vigorously nods and leaves the cave at Mai's heels.

[X]

 _It was a month before the Victory Tour and Korra and Asami were on a hike near the swamp._

 _"_ _I love hiking," said Korra._

 _Asami grimaced and nodded. Korra stopped and turned to face her._

 _Asami said, "No, really, we don't need to stop."_

 _"_ _We can," said Korra. "It's not your thing."_

 _Korra leaned in and kissed Asami, and Asami kissed her back._

 _"_ _I've been in love with you my whole life, you know," Korra said softly. Asami had a strange look of hurt in her beautiful green eyes. "I can't believe this is real."_

 _"_ _It is," said Asami softly._

 _Korra believed it was at the time._

[X]

"No one is showing up here," Azula admits, sighing at the defeat. She knew it was a chance.

"How would they know?" Katara asks, although she imagines that Azula is no stranger to rigging games.

"Well, I told Mai to meet me here, but she doesn't play well with others. She might be alone; I didn't see her after the gun fired," says Azula.

Katara inquires, "So, is there a Plan B?"

"We go back to the Sanctuary Square. I have a failsafe in place." Azula pushes herself to her feet.

"I expect no less from the most honest person I've ever met." Katara stands and adjusts the water skin on her hip.

[X]

When Korra and Mai emerge from the mist and return to the metal room with all of the water, they find the Sanctuary Square abandoned.

"That was easy," remarks Korra, pleased about it.

"You say that like it's a good thing. I really don't like how easy these Games have been so far," Mai coldly says as she walks to the platform in the center of the pool.

Korra scurries after her, and they stand. The center is raised, as always, the best items placed somewhere you must put yourself into a vulnerable position to reach. Mai climbs up onto it and sits down. Korra picks through the different items.

They remain silent until dawn, and as the sun rises, every tribute knows that no one has died in the night, and it is time for the gamemakers to take matters into their own hands.

Three traps go off. Two in different Arenas.

One throws Korra into the air, screaming. Before she can bend any element, nails dig into her wrist. Her body screams from the pain of spinning, but her only ally at the moment pulls her back onto the platform. They both slide down from the raised center, but Korra manages to cling on. She holds onto Mai for about five seconds before she loses her grip and loses her only ally to the water.

Korra does not hear a cannon but the Sanctuary Square screeches to a stop. She pulls herself up onto the metal and looks around.

She sees that the trap did not stop because of a death; Bolin kneels on one of the paths, clawing down on the metal to bring the spinning to a stop. He sweats from the tension of holding it, and Korra hears a splash.

To the left of the sound, she sees Azula running towards the center.

"Don't do that!" screams Korra, glancing at the strained expression of Bolin.

"Shut up!" Azula shouts, sliding to a stop and grabbing onto an unmoved backpack, she unzips it and reaches in. She twists her arm and Bolin slowly stands. "Stay shut up, because we're about to have a lot of company."

Korra identifies the splash as Katara when she sees two young women kneeling on the square platform. Mai is in the middle of dry heaves; Katara is bending the water from both of their uniforms.

"I hate you," Mai says to Azula.

"What did I say about shutting up?" Azula looks to the mist, and everyone else's gaze follows.

Nine sets of footsteps slam against the metal.

Water pours into the pool, but it does not overflow. Azula backs away from it until her back is against the platform.

A cannon fires.

"I really hate you," Mai replies, reaching for her bow. "I also hate you, Katara, because I was trying to say that I was not drowning; I was looking for my weapon."

Katara is not paying attention. She is running from the platform at the gathering of tributes with whips of water in either hand.

As Katara races into combat with Hyunara and Izumi, only one tribute makes it out of the clash of weapons, running to the platform and jumping gracefully into Bolin's arms.

Korra quickly grabs the water in the pool and raises it up, freezing it around her and her only current allies. There are only two waterbenders left, and both are on her side, so she thinks the shield should last through this encounter.

Another cannon fires.

"Just two are supposed to die from this one. We're safe now," Azula whispers.

No one else says a word as the Arena plunges into total darkness.


	23. Book 2: Unplanned Alterations

**Chapter Thirteen  
Unplanned Alterations**

* * *

 _"_ _Luck was fine and well, but I didn't need it. I had a plan."  
-Kiera Cass-_

* * *

 ** _The 13_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Kano smiles at Hama. He squeezes her hand. She gazes at him with icy eyes._

 _"_ _I'll love you until the end of time," he says, which almost makes her laugh._

 _Hama does not know if she would stay with him past her last Reaping. He has been a good boyfriend, good to her, sure, but she is too young to make that kind of decision. Apparently, she is old enough to kill or die in the Arena, but not old enough to commit to Kano._

 _"_ _That's really sweet," replies Hama, squeezing his hand back._

 _She glances over her shoulder as one of the peacekeepers starts to walk towards her._

 _Kano kisses her right before they escort her to the train._

 ** _The 13_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Victory Tour_**

 _Kano smiles at Hama. He squeezes her hand. She gazes at him with tired eyes._

 _"_ _Good luck. I bet it'll be really fun to see the different Districts," he says, which almost makes her laugh._

 _Hama decides to kiss him. She does not have anything to say except for the fact that she would love to just forget and fade into obscurity. Instead, she has to feign love for the Capitol._

 _"_ _I'll see you soon," replies Hama, squeezing his hand back._

 _She glances over her shoulder as her District Escort walks towards her._

 _Kano kisses her right before she escorts Hama to the train._

 ** _The 17_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Kano smiles at Hama. He squeezes her hand. She gazes him with glassy eyes._

 _"_ _It's going to be fine. You're a great mentor," he says, which almost makes her laugh._

 _"_ _I'm not a great mother," she replies, adjusting her baby in her arms._

 _She has never understood just how dark the Games are until she watches Reaping Day with a child who will turn twelve one day. Hama has suffered at the hands of the Capitol. She has suffered so much and now she will pass that pain down to her child like an agonizing heirloom._

 _"_ _You're great at that too," says Kano._

 _"_ _If I was a good one, I would've never had a baby," she whispers._

 _She glances over her shoulder as her District Escort clears her throat and begins to read the names._

 _Kano kisses her right before she lays eyes on two kids she must try to save._

 _She kisses him a second time right before her tributes are ushered to the train station._

 ** _The 29_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Kano smiles at Hama. He squeezes her hand. She gazes at him with teary eyes._

 _"_ _It's going to be fine. Her name is only in there once," he says, which almost makes her laugh._

 _"_ _I hope so," Hama says. She has never done anything to offend President Azulon Shinohai. Her baby girl should survive. Should._

 _She glances over her shoulder as her daughter gazes at her imploringly._

 _Kano kisses her right before she hears the Fire Tribute's name called._

 _Her baby girl is not Reaped._

 _They breathe sighs of relief right before the reading of the Treaty of Balance._

 ** _The 35_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Kano smiles at Hama. He squeezes her hand. She gazes at him with hardened eyes._

 _"_ _She's fine," he says, breathlessly, brightly. Ignorance must be bliss._

 _Her baby girl has lived past eighteen without being sent into the Arena._

 _They embrace their child right before they let her slip away._

 ** _The 50_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Victory Tour_**

 _Yusa smiles at Hama. She squeezes her mentor's hands. Hama gazes at her tribute with glazed eyes._

 _"_ _You'll do fine on that stage," she says, which Yusa wants to believe._

 _Slowly, Yusa walks to the microphone and begins her prewritten speech. Hama watches cautiously; President Shinohai made her promise that she would keep Yusa controlled._

 _Yusa steps down from the pedestal. From the platform ahead, a child of a tribute she killed with poison throws a rock that hits her on the neck. The peacekeepers tackle him. Hama lunges forward and grabs Yusa, pulling her into her arms._

 _"_ _I'm bleeding!" cries out Yusa. Hama shushes her._

 _"_ _And you made his brother bleed to death," says Hama. They both recall the gruesome death, blood spurting from his lips. "But it was the real enemy who did it to you both." The peacekeepers drag the boy away, taking him into custody. The speech will be heavily edited; Hama knows that. That is what makes her not bother suppressing her next words. "But I know something they don't."_

 _"_ _Yes?" whispers Yusa._

 _"_ _If we bleed, they bleed with us."_

 _Yusa screws up her face in concentration right before they are ushered to the festivities._

 ** _The 54_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Kano smiles at Hama. He squeezes her hand. She gazes at him with pained eyes._

 _"_ _Kunik will be fine," he says, which Hama wants to believe._

 _She told her daughter to not have kids, to never fall in love, to never care about anything in this world. It all can go away at any moment without an ounce of warning._

 _Hama just kisses him on the cheek and squeezes his hand._

 _They stare into the massive crowd right before they must watch the video._

 ** _The 65_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Ayako smiles at Kama and squeezes her hand. Hama gazes at them with jaded eyes._

 _"_ _We'll be fine," Ayako says to her best friend._

 _Hama sighs, because she knows that is not true._

 _She watches the Reapings and sees something that sparks her interest. A scrawny teenage girl in 9 volunteering as tribute. Hama feels her blood run cold._

 _That girl already looks like a victor. She has the coldness in her eyes. The tribute from 9 is a survivor to the core._

 _Hama looks up at her tributes._

 _She knows they will not live this year._

 _Hama rises and leaves the room right before Ayako and Kama start scheming._

 ** _The 68_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Kunik frowns at Hama. She squeezes his hand and gazes at him with bloodshot eyes._

 _The accident has taken its toll overnight._

 _"_ _It'll all be fine in the end," Hama says, because Kano is not alive to tell that lie anymore._

 _He would probably think that if he were alive. Even though she is going to bury her baby girl long before her time._

 _Hama knows there are no accidents in the United Republic. She knows whose fault this death is, and she wants her revenge. She wants to make them bleed._

 _"_ _No, it won't," spits Kunik. "It's never fine."_

 _"_ _We have to get to the Town Square. Come on," says Hama._

 _Kunik glances over his shoulder at his mother's deathbed as Hama drags him away._

 _They lose their loved ones right before their life shatters further._

 ** _The 70_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, Reaping Day_**

 _Hama smiles at Kunik. She squeezes his hand. He gazes at her with broken eyes._

 _"_ _I'll take care of you in the Arena. You'll win," she says, which almost makes him laugh. Hama does not know if he will survive. She knows a wise person would pour their resources into Azula, because that girl has a real chance at winning._

 _"_ _You can try," says Kunik._

 _Hama nods._

 _"_ _I will try," she promises._

 _She does try, but she fails._

 _Hama stifles her tears right before the other victors come to comfort her._

* * *

In the Capitol, Hama intently watches the 75th Harmony Games. She knows that things are amiss and that her plans _must_ work, because Asami and Ty Lee have vanished without a trace. Hama can guess what happened to them, and the kindest fate they could face is execution.

The only benefit of losing those two innocent girls is that Azula will be wholly dedicated to the rebels now, or so Hama hopes. That gives them a decent shot at still pulling through.

Hama tries to peel her eyes from the screen as Yue and Hakoda are both slain by Hyunara. She feels her heart sink in her chest, heavy and numb. Watching her friends die has been hard, but it will get worse before it gets better; she has utter faith in the rebels who volunteered to fight in there. To fight for a brighter future. To fight for the freedom of the United Republic.

"This Arena is impressive in the worst way," says Hama to June. June nods and downs the rest of her drink. "I knew it wouldn't be simple but…"

"We'll find some way to even the odds," passionately insists the younger victor as she pours herself another glass.

Hama takes a slow, deep breath and nods. "Everyone has a weakness. Even the Capitol."

[X]

In the Arena, Korra waits for the darkness to recede and shatters the dome of ice. It reverts to its original state and settles in the pool. When her eyes adjust to the crisp, bright world around her, she sees Katara, Zuko and Kya waiting just outside of the platform. No other tributes are visible, but that does not give anyone relief.

The alliance is complete, but that does not mean they will succeed.

"I'm sorry, Katara," says Opal, the only one willing to mention the death of her father.

Katara opens her mouth to reply but just shakes her head and adjusts the water-skin pressed against her hip. She and her two allies walk onto the center platform and the tributes form a shape similar to a circle.

"We should gather anything we want to keep and go back into the Arena. Or, Arenas," Azula orders, glancing around at the other victors.

"You're not the leader," vehemently protests Korra, straightening her posture with a passionate glint in her sapphire eyes. "I should be the leader. I'm the Avatar."

"Neither of you should be the leader," dryly remarks Mai, already tired of this. "One of you is a psychopath and the other is stupid, among other things."

"Oh, and you'd be a great leader," snarls Azula, narrowing her eyes. Mai does not falter.

"I would be a horrible leader," Mai calmly replies, looking between Azula and Korra. "Not as bad as either of you, but I vote for Katara."

"Catatonic Katara?" Azula retorts with a scoff.

Korra shoves her. No one blames the Avatar when Azula falls onto her knees with an angry shriek.

"We don't need a leader," says Opal, turning her palms up and shrugging.

Azula stands back up. "I am the leader because I designed the Arena. Well, I have many other leadership qualities, but mostly because I designed the Arena and know what to do."

"Fine," agrees Zuko of all people. Azula would never have expected that from him.

"We need to go into the 60th Games," Azula unwaveringly states, her knuckles on her hips.

"Not fine," disagrees Zuko, a shiver surging through him. He wants to avoid his Arena at all costs. Going back there would be even worse than his nightmares.

"There are only four entrances: the 70th, 60th, 59th and 42nd. We need to get to the 65th," says Azula, pointing loosely at the concealed gateways.

"I'm so far from on board with this," chimes in Mai. She, like all of them, is no fan of reliving her own Games.

"Why do we need to get to the 65th?" asks Bolin, hoping to change Azula's mind.

"I can't tell you yet. It is too dangerous, but please trust me." Azula means that. The rebel plan hinges on them reaching the 65th Arena. Without that accomplishment, they will fail.

Everyone accepts Azula's explanation except for Mai. She says, "I am going to stay here and find my bow."

Azula smirks. "At the bottom of the bottomless pool?"

Mai glares. "Why would you make a bottomless pool?"

"Why not?" Azula shrugs. She has the heartless, thrilled demeanor of a career tribute. While she is not happy to be here, she cannot help but enjoy the adrenaline… and the thought of sparking a successful revolution.

"And why would you make the Sanctuary Square into a trap?" Mai asks.

"I didn't." Azula smirks again. "I made it into two traps. Now, come on. I suggest we reenter at the 60th, since that means we only have to go through one projection." Her commanding tone is enough to make even her enemies listen. They do not have anywhere else to turn, regardless. "Now, Zuko, where was your platform?"

He lazily points.

[X]

"Azula," hisses Korra as soon as the group enters the projection. They all have been engulfed by a humid tropical jungle, far from the arid and freezing Arena they expected. "Azula, this isn't the 60th Games."

Her District Partner rolls her eyes and replies, "I noticed. We are in the 42nd."

"Well," huffily says Korra, "it's a circle. It's easy to get mixed up."

"I did not get _mixed up_!" Azula exclaims, her ivory skin suddenly flushing bright red. Korra has never seen someone skyrocket into that level of anger so quickly. "Zuko is an idiot who can't remember where his platform was!"

Mai does not see rage in Azula's outburst; she sees fear.

"It was directly across from yours," says Zuko, "so who's the idiot?"

"Still you," growls Azula.

No one protests, because they know the reality is that both Azula and Zuko are probably right.

The Arena is not precisely as Azula designed it to be.

[X]

In the Capitol, Hama says to her companion, "She lost the bow. We _need_ the bow or the plan doesn't work. So much for evening the odds."

June nods, grabbing a bottle from a servant to refill her own drink. Yet, despite her positive response, she has a negative outlook. "That's the most expensive weapon in the catalogue. Do you have enough for it?"

"Yes. It would take everything in the account, and I don't think the sponsors would be pleased. I doubt I would even get another copper piece if they knew that I helped a rival tribute. They are all giving money to fund their bets. Azula and Korra are the favorites to win, after all, and Mai is their biggest competition in the eyes of the Capitol."

"It makes me sound weak," says June, shifting her weight from side to side, "but I wish we could save them all."

"They knew what they were volunteering for. Well, all but Korra. They all know that war requires sacrifice," says Hama, sitting down. Her bones ache terribly. "And that sometimes you have to go all in and take the risk of losing it all or winning the game."

June refills her glass.

"Something like that." She downs the drink.

Hama returns her attention to the screens.

[X]

In the Arena, after Azula burns two trees in her fit, the alliance decides to sit down under the protection of the evening and make a new plan. Azula sits and redraws the Arena with the phoenix pin. Kya exchanges occasional murmurs with her; they are stuck in _her_ Games. Opal falls asleep in Bolin's arms while Zuko and Katara pace the camp, prepared for a fight.

Korra sits, isolated, and looks around and wonders how she can feel so alone.

The bright symbol of United Republic flashes in the sky and the anthem blares. After that symbol fades, faces flash above.

District 3: Hakoda. District 4: Yue.

Zuko chews on his lip. He knows they were not involved in the rebel plan, and, therefore, their deaths should not matter to him. Yet, they were his friends, and it stings to watch them die.

Korra glances around at the quiet camp and slowly stands. She crosses the dirt path to sit by Mai, who is still sulking about her lost weapons.

She cannot believe the same thing happened to her twice.

"Can I sit by you?" asks the Avatar.

Mai sighs. "I don't care."

Korra sits down. "I think you care."

"I really don't. Sit wherever you want." Mai rolls her eyes and returns her gaze to the sky.

"Maybe you don't care about that but you definitely care about a lot of things, and care about them a lot. Or you wouldn't be here." Korra thinks she has it figured out. Mai hates that.

Mai deflects with, "Why do you want to sit by me?"

"Because I eavesdropped on you and Zuko again."

"You take too much interest in our lives."

"You two are too loud."

"Ugh. What do you want?"

"Do…" Korra blushes. "Do you think Asami could have loved me?"

Mai does not question the past tense. She doubts Korra will make it out of the Arena, no matter what the rebels believe. Korra probably knows that.

"I don't know how I could possibly know that."

"No, I mean, you said you love…"

"I know what I said, but nearly drowning today might have made me reconsider."

"No, it didn't."

Mai sighs. "I don't know Asami. I don't know if she loves you or not. But stranger things have happened than Asami pretending long enough that she started falling for you."

"I hope she loved me."

Mai shrugs. "She did what she had to do, just like all of us sitting here. It could have been a lot worse for the two of you, so I'd stop pouting about her."

Korra has an angry remark on her tongue but she swallows it.

"I wrote her a poem once."

"It was probably terrible."

"It was great! I said I was like a weed beside her rose."

"It sounds terrible."

[X]

In the Capitol, June sits in a hotel that she would call a brothel. It isn't exclusively for this shady business, so maybe it is just a resort, but it is where all meetings are held. She does not know who she will end up with. She just downs a couple of drinks and catches up with her favorite bartender.

That night, she makes a deal that is vital to the rebellion. She manages to scrounge up enough that, with a few of Hama's assets added, they can afford such a coveted weapon.

When she returns to the Tribute Center, she finds Hama with her eyes still glued to the screen. Almost every mentor is here, despite the late hour. They all have so much more at stake than two kids from their District; these are their good friends.

"I found a way to not piss off your sponsors," says June as she sits beside Hama. "Most of the money will come from 7. I made a deal tonight. With a little help from your account, we can buy the bow and you still can afford gifts for Azula and Korra."

Hama smiles. "You're such a clever girl under that rough exterior."

"Whatever." June closes her eyes and leans back on the sofa.

"You know," Hama remarks, "they held a summit centuries ago about how unfair and destructive the use of bows and arrows was. Everyone was terrified of archers. That's been resurrected here, don't you think?"

"Mai told me about some guys called the Yuyan Archers. I bet they aren't real, but it was a good story."

"As much as the loss of the bow troubled me, I don't think this will be the worst wrench in our plans," remarks Hama.

"You've got that right," replies June. "But evening the odds was never gonna be easy."

[X]

In the dead of the night, Korra sits against the trunk of a tree and thinks about all of the things she forgot to do. The Arena has its way of worming those into your mind.

Everyone else is asleep except for Azula and Opal, who are on watch.

Korra is the only one paying attention when a silver package falls directly onto the lap of a sleeping First Lady. Mai tears it open and withdraws a gorgeous hunting bow. It is more flashy than practical, but it is far better than nothing. Arrows rest in the package beneath it.

Mai picks up the weapon and makes a decision that she dares not speak aloud.

Korra squints at her as Mai presses the weapon tightly against herself like a child's stuffed animal.

[X]

The monkey mutts come out of nowhere. Orange, striped, frothing at the mouth.

With such a large and capable alliance, weapons and elements fly as they back away and run through the jungle. Kya takes out more of them than everyone else, attacking with a vengeance that no one understands but the Avatar.

They killed Kya's District Partner.

After the last creature is slain and the group is catching their breath deeper in the sweltering jungle, Mai lowers her new bow. She looks at the alliance, who are tallying their injuries and seeking a new place to turn. No one is watching, and so she takes this opportunity to slip away into the foliage.

She takes off on her own, engulfed by shadows.

Korra is the only one who notices, and she says, "Mai is—" before she hears a very familiar voice screaming out, " _Korra_!"

The Avatar turns towards the sound of Asami screaming and starts to run. Kya reaches out to grab her but misses. Azula runs for her Avatar the fastest. Kya wonders why until she realizes that Asami is her sister. She did all of this for that girl, after all.

Kya gets up and Zuko follows suit. Opal and Bolin are too confused to register anything happening.

Katara jumps up faster and follows the tributes from District 2, running into the trees.

"Korra!" Katara shouts, punching branches out of her way.

" _Korra_!" screams a disembodied voice that gives Katara chills. They wouldn't. Her dad is gamemaker. But they would. They would.

Katara reaches Azula and Korra. Azula has stopped at the edge of the forest, taking a few steps back. Korra runs forward and reaches out to a silhouette of a girl, but it bursts into fragments of light that burn her skin. She is the one screaming now; Katara runs and picks her up, dragging her to the thicker trees.

Korra cries. Katara begins to heal the blistering wounds.

"It was just an illusion. Azula, tell her."

Azula just softly says, "I didn't install that trap."

"It was her," Korra says. "It was really her. Not-not _in_ here but they took her. Azula, they took her."

"I figured," whispers the former Head Gamemaker. Tears blossom in her eyes, but she blinks them away before anyone notices.

Katara is about to ask Korra what she means when she hears a cannon go off. She stands up and helps the Avatar to her feet. There will be time to talk later; right now they need to run.

The three young women exchange a glance and race back towards where they left Bolin, Opal, Zuko and Kya.

When they arrive, their allies are nowhere to be found.


	24. Book 2: Azula Always Lies

**Chapter Fourteen  
Azula Always Lies**

* * *

 _Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
"_ _Fire and Ice" — Robert Frost_

* * *

 **The 73** **rd** **Harmony Games, Day Four**

 _Mai is in the middle of breaking the law by not watching Mandatory Viewing when she hears her daughter shriek. It sounds like pain, so she jumps up from the tablet on her lap and races across the pristine white living room to see her baby girl staring at the television screen._

 _She is not hurt, and so, "What's wrong?" asks Mai._

 _"_ _I liked her best." Mimi's lip trembles._

 _Mai looks up and sees the recap of a death. She tries not to remember any of the tributes, but she has had this one on her mind since the parade. It is a miracle that a small girl from District 9 made it past the bloodbath, much less three days in the Arena._

 _She is twelve. She looks like Mimi. She has her dark hair splayed out around her like a crown with a pool of blood collecting beneath her._

 _"_ _Mimi, I know you don't completely understand what I'm saying, but I need you to promise me something. Promise you'll die after me. I don't care what else you do. Just die after me."_

 _"_ _Okay," promises the little girl._

 _"_ _Good," Mai whispers._

* * *

The alliance broke. Hama does not know what to do.

Mai has gone rogue, Korra and Katara and Azula are separated from the rest, and Bolin and Opal lost track of Kya and Zuko in the thick woods. Hama's plan is failing and she does not know what to do about it.

All she can think about is the fact that so many revolutions have died in her arms. This one might not be any different, Avatar or not.

Hama does not know if she will ever realize her dream of freedom in the United Republic.

* * *

In the Arena, Mai suddenly transitions from creeping through the woods to standing on a strip of metal. The infinite storm crackles above and the dim light gives her goosebumps. She must have hit Yue's Games, because Hyunara is still alive.

Mai does not like feeling so exposed, and so she hurriedly enters Bolin's Arena.

She remembers his year; it was briefly after her wedding. The snow and ice are daunting and this year's uniforms were not made for it. Not to mention the fact that they are pitch black, which does not make for good camouflage in the arctic.

Mai walks through the frozen landscape. The snow is terrible. The cold is wearing down on her, but she knows she can make it through the projection. Or so she believes, until all she sees is white. The flurry of snow freezes her skin and stings her eyes as she struggles to breathe for the cold and damp.

She keeps walking, but she does not know where to go, squeezing her amber eyes shut every few moments. Her teeth begin to violently chatter; she thinks they might break.

Slowly, she sits down and the snow further soaks her uniform.

Mai has to stop. She is just wearing herself out. As she begins to lie down, she sees a hint of red among the white. It blinks. She must be hallucinating, imagining her Games. They had a security upgrade on the traps after hers and Bolin won the 66th.

But she discovers she is _not_ hallucinating when the ground gives out from under her. She screams as she crashes down, gasping and choking on the snow. Mai looks at the walls of ice around her and how high up the way out must be.

It is so cold. _She_ is so cold.

Mai grabs one of her knives and claws her way up the wall of snow and ice. It burns her hands and she has to hold back a scream. She spends what feels like hours trying to break through the icy lid of her coffin with the blade, but gives up.

She sinks down into the bed of snow and curls up into a ball, deciding that her survival is unlikely.

[X]

Twenty minutes after Mai falls into a frigid pit, the Capitol Anthem plays. It flashes away without a face appearing; no one has died today, which does not bode well for anyone. The public will become bored very quickly if no one is dying.

Zuko sits beside Kya tonight. He had fallen asleep before he woke up, stifling a scream. When he sees her still a silent vanguard, he does not know what to think.

"Do you still have nightmares, after all these years?" Zuko asks. He glances around. "Do you still dream that you're in this place."

Kya looks at the trees, the grass, hears the sounds. She remembers every last detail, and has seen them again and again for fifty years.

"Yes," says Kya. "But I don't think they're scary anymore, and I'm not afraid to sleep."

"Why?" Zuko asks.

"Because when I wake up, I'm always somewhere worse." Kya mirthlessly smiles.

He rubs his face, his fingertips grazing his scar. As if the Gamemakers saw that small move at that small moment, the forest lights on fire, going up in a blaze all around him and his counterpart. The flames surge between them, blocking them from each other.

"What—what do we do?" Zuko shouts.

"Run in opposite directions. I'll see you soon," she exclaims. Kya turns and runs before Zuko can protest.

Zuko races away too, the flames licking after him.

Not far from those two, Bolin and Opal wake in each other's arms. Their surroundings have heated up significantly; their world is on fire. She screams and he picks her up, holding her bridal style in his arms.

"I'll get you out of here. We're close to my Games." He kisses her forehead and starts to run to what he knows will be a snowy, icy wasteland. It will be a nightmare on one hand, but sweet reprieve from the fire on the other.

He runs towards his Arena—or so he hopes—and tries his best to avoid the fire. Opal attempts to blow it away, but the air just feeds the flames. Bolin trips and she screams as they both hit the ground. The earthbender's leg makes a snapping sound and the flames lick his feet and calves, burning them.

Opal grabs him now and helps him limp onto a metal strip. Bolin sinks down after they escape the fire.

"How bad is it?" Bolin chokes out, pointing weakly at his leg.

Opal kneels and then sucks in through her teeth. She can see the bone through the cut, and a bit of it sticks out. A compound fracture. The burns are bright red, but there are no blisters so she hopes it is not too bad.

"Let's get to the snow," she says, wondering if that will help.

She pulls Bolin to his feet and they enter the next hologram.

[X]

Away from the fire, Korra has a horrid thought.

It makes no sense.

She must have gone insane already in here.

 _Azula and Katara sitting in a tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G._

Yep, she thinks she has lost it.

Her two companions climbed up to get a better view. They both seek their alliance or any sign of friendlies—or enemies at that—but see nothing. Azula jumps down first while Katara lingers and keeps looking.

"We should get going, Korra," Azula says, but just as she looks up to call Katara, she hears growling.

They do not have enough time to even start running. Beasts with humongous fangs, thick black fur and red eyes howl in the night. They look somewhat like wolfbats, but are altered by the Capitol. Katara tears water from the leaves of the tree and throws ice down at a few of them.

She jumps down as Azula throws blue flames at the monsters that circle them. Korra makes the earth shake, throwing several of them off balance. The three girls fight, but the monsters only close in. A wave suddenly rises from behind the beasts, tossing them, yelping, aside.

"Kya!" Katara exclaims, her rotund eyes lighting up.

Azula glances over, distracted, and then screams from the sudden pain. Her two companions and Kya turn to look at her as they continue fighting the monsters that simply will not die. Azula bleeds profusely from three huge claw marks across her abdomen. Her uniform is torn, but still sticks to her skin. She doubles over, gasping as her vision turns red.

Korra fends off the beasts that go after her district partner until Azula comes to her senses and tries to battle for herself. It looks dismal, so Kya shouts, "Run! Just run!"

The four women run from the monsters, Korra supporting Azula. The pain and injury cripple her. They keep running and running, but the beasts pursue them.

Then, from their right side, an icy fog closes in. Korra reaches out and touches it before Azula can stop the dumb girl. Korra curses as the cold freezes her fingertips.

"This trap wasn't in Kya's Games," she says as she pulls Azula away from the flash freezing fog.

"It's from Zuko's. I have no idea…" Azula trails off. There is no point in hypothesizing.

They run. Growling and yapping from behind, the fog closing in from the right, the fire rising from the left, trying to engulf them. Azula shoves the flames back, putting some of them out, but they continue to surge, fueled by the gamemakers.

"What do we do?" screams Korra, and no one answers.

Katara is helping Kya after the fire sears the older woman's arm. The beasts are snapping at the two waterbenders' heels. All four women are out of breath as they run as fast as they can. Korra picks up Azula at this point, tired of supporting her and needing to speed up.

They keep racing. Kya drains the water from the grass and slashes at the beasts. One of them grabs her by the arm. Katara kills it as Kya groans from the pain.

Katara hits the frozen fog and falls onto her hands and knees. Kya picks her up, despite the blood and pain, and helps her as she touches her numb, frostbitten arm. The fire on the other side sings Kya's hair.

Korra turns, loosening her grip on Azula.

"It won't stop. Where does it stop?" Korra asks, but Azula is looking straight ahead.

A wave of blood rushes towards them.

"It will stop when one of us dies," Azula says, pushing herself out of Korra's arms. She has no intention of sacrificing herself. "We can try to go through the fire. I can hold it back."

Katara and Kya nod and turn towards the flames. Azula raises both arms and fights against it. She pushes it back, but it even weakens _her_. She turns some of it blue, but it does not last long. All she can do is keep pressing forward, hoping they will reach Yue or Hyunara's Games.

Azula stumbles, the pain and blood from the scratch overwhelming her. The fire surges at them and everyone doubles back towards the frozen fog.

The beasts snarl and the blood licks Korra's feet.

Kya turns to Katara, who rubs her frostbitten skin. She looks at Azula as they keep doubling back from the fire. Korra is out of breath.

"You better win this war," Kya whispers to Katara, quiet enough that the cameras cannot hear her. "I've been trying to make a revolution work for decades. I believe you kids can. So, don't screw up, kid."

She shoves Katara towards Azula and Korra before the waterbender can realize what is happening. Before any of the girls can say a word or register the actions, a cannon fires.

The traps recede, just as Azula predicted.

They are in an Arena that seems untouched, the monsters gone, the fire quenched, the fog vanishing. Katara begins to cry. Azula looks up at her, panting. Korra freezes, her eyes glazed over.

Azula cannot help but think about the fact that this is all her fault.

* * *

President Ozai Shinohai does not care about the fire that consumes most of the screens in the control room. His daughter has survived, despite her wound, and the rebel Kya is dead. None of that matters; he raptly watches a girl freezing to death, still curled up, lips blue, eyes closed.

"That's not…" he says, keeping his tone commanding and unfeeling. "That's a waste of her impact. These Games were infamous for how boring death by hypothermia was. Stop the snowfall and break the ice."

Hiroshi Sato does as he is told.

President Ozai Shinohai turns and walks onto the concealed floor of the Tribute Center. The mentors and a few lucky sponsors are all across the hallway. He strides over and opens the door, walking in to see everyone occupied, including the young woman he heard took over District 9.

June knows he is coming even though she cannot see him.

She turns to the source of the scent of blood and roses, the merging of metallic and sweet.

"Can I help you, sir?" she says. The honorific is poison on her tongue, but she does not want to die.

"Yes. I want to make a very sizable donation that you will promise not to use on Zuko, and you will spend on whatever reverses hypothermia," Ozai says.

June smiles. "I was just getting ready to ask you for that, sir."

He gives no response, just signs the tablet she holds out.

* * *

In the Arena, Mai looks up and sees the ice shattering above her. The sky is falling, the sky is falling. She thinks she must be in a daze—her brain is fuzzy—as her prison disappears. Then she realizes that it is the end of the blizzard, and she can see the faux sky of the Arena.

The cold is too much. She begins to reach for the sides of the pit again, now on her knees, but she cannot manage. Her teeth hurt. Her skin hurts.

 _"_ _I'm sorry_ ," she whispers, not to herself, setting her hand lightly on her stomach.

A silver package lands near her knees. She dares to pick it up with her shaking, ice cold hands. She opens it and sees two red boxes, very small. She opens one and finds gloves, a weird metallic blanket or tarp, a candle lantern, waterproof matches and a flammable tablet. The other red box has food, water and some kind of medicine she does not know what to do with.

Mai drags her bow closer to her and takes inventory of her throwing knives before she lights the fire. It might draw death to her, and she has to fight. After a few moments, she wraps the tarp around her and decides it is some kind of blanket—and if it isn't, it is shockingly warm—and then lingers for some time as she continues to shake and her teeth continue to shatter but she starts to return to normal human temperature.

But the fire attracts trouble. She hears voices and grabs her bow, drawing it with the arrow pointed upwards at… Opal.

"Mai?" she exclaims, astounded. "Let me help you up. Bolin is sitting down—he got hurt really bad—here, just let me…"

Airbending is not as pathetic as people say.

Although, Mai knows after her unfinished hypothermia experience that she favors fire.

[X]

Missing Bolin, Opal and Mai, Korra and her two companions speed through Bolin's Games and enter Opal's. They stop there and sit down beneath a tree. It is a peaceful and serene forest that smells strongly of pine trees and damp dirt.

Azula touches her wounds, her hands soaked with the blood.

Korra hugs Katara, who pulls herself together and pulls water from the grass to try to heal Azula's scratches. Every time she heals them, they reopen. She manages to make the blood slow, but she cannot fix the injury.

"This is the worst Arena there ever was," grumbles Katara as she heals her own frostbite.

Instead of being offended, Azula earnestly says, "I agree."

[X]

Mai sits in Opal's Games. She treats her frostbite with the lotion that came in a silver package. Opal tries to help Bolin's leg, but they clearly do not have enough sponsors to get him medicine. However, a package falls with a needle and thread.

Opal stares at it, then looks up at Mai. "Can you do stitches?"

Mai shakes her head. "My hands are still shaking too much from the cold."

Bolin curses under his breath, now aware of the pain. Opal bites her lower lip and manages to get the thread through the eye of the needle.

"I'm sorry," she softly says to her boyfriend as she gives him stitches, horrified by the blood on her hands and the way he screams into his palm.

Mai watches. She slowly stands, looking at the pond of crystalline water.

"I'll get some of that," she says, but Opal grabs onto her and fiercely holds her back.

"The water in my Arena had blood thinner in it," she hisses, trying to clean herself up and failing.

Mai suddenly remembers. Her tribute had open wounds and when she tried to wash herself, the water killed her. She nods and sits down.

A silver package falls, directed at Mai. She opens it and sees water, enough to share with several more people than just Opal and Bolin.

"You're doing well for yourself," Opal comments, attempting to laugh.

But as she sees Bolin lie down with his eyes squeezed shut, tears dripping down his cheeks, she cannot manage to smile.

[X]

Zuko enters Opal's Games after running across the tundra. He kept himself warm with his breath of fire as he went through the blizzard that started up again upon his entrance. Somehow, he made it to the pine forest.

The alliance is driven back together at sunset. They all meet and examine each other's injuries, all worse for wear. Zuko is in the best shape of them all; he only has a few scratches and bruises from his escape from Kya's Games.

"We all made it," Azula comments, glancing around. "Except…"

The Capitol Anthem blares just as Opal hands out water to all of her allies. They sip it as only one face appears in the sky.

Kya.

" _No_ ," whispers Opal, tears blossoming in her eyes. She strokes Bolin's hair, matting it with his blood. "No…"

Mai does not feel the overwhelming sadness everyone else does. She only feels a surge of rage as she turns to the emotionless Azula Shinohai.

She stands and grabs Azula by the arm, pulling her to her feet.

"Azula," demands Mai as soon as she catches her breath. "Azula, was this Quell your idea?"

"What?" asks Azula, finishing her water in one gulp.

"Was it your idea to Reap the tributes from the existing pool of victors?" Mai snarls as the alliance looks on with fear and fascination.

"That was random. They draw a slip." Azula offers a sly smile, but Mai does not buy it.

" _Azula_. No one here is dumb enough to believe that," Mai says through clenched teeth, and Azula averts her eyes. "I take that as a yes."

"I'm sorry," Azula says to all of her allies. She means it. "I'm so sorry that I did this."

"I thought so," says Mai, cold, disbelieving of the apology.

Her words stun everyone else speechless by Azula sitting down on the ledge above the poisoned water, tears streaming from her eyes. She has lost it. Maybe they all have by now.

"It was my idea," Azula whispers. "It was my idea, and I haven't stopped thinking about how much I regret it since the moment I entered the Arena. No, moments before when they dragged the only person I will ever love away from me and probably beat her to death, and I learned I am not too brilliant to trick. And I'm sorry about every cannon that goes off, I promise you. But we all know I don't love anybody but myself and I never will, no matter how much I finally find out what guilt feels like. I'm truly sorry, and you all deserved so much better."

Opal, of all people, is the one who says, "I forgive you."

Korra can only think of how much Azula sounds like Asami, and then she registers that the same thing happened to Ty Lee that happened to her wife.

Mai stares at Azula, the only person wholly cold towards her.

"I asked you, and you lied to me."

Azula stands, livid now. "You had a knife to my throat. What was I supposed to do?"

"Well," the First Lady says, drawing her bow and stepping closer and closer to the former Head Gamemaker, "Azula, I think it would make things easier from here on out if we promise not to lie to each other, don't you think?"

"Go ahead. Shoot me." Azula puts up her hands, calling the bluff. Mai keeps walking towards her, but does not release the arrow. "Shoot me right through the heart."

Mai notices the scratches on Azula's abdomen, so similar to those of her tribute's in the 69th Games. She then sees the ledge the hydrophobic girl unknowingly teeters over.

"Oh, I won't," Mai says, lowering her weapon. "You don't deserve a death that painless." Azula breathes a sigh of relief before Mai whispers, just loud enough for her counterpart and the cameras, "Drown, bitch."

The formerly reserved First Lady lunges forward before her stepdaughter can react, shoving her over the side of the ledge and into the pool. Red blossoms to the surface, but no cannon fires. Korra screams and runs towards the water as Zuko grabs Mai and holds her tightly. He turns to Katara and they run, dragging her with them, back towards the Sanctuary Square.

Opal cannot breathe. She is an airbender and she cannot breathe.

Bolin sees the panic, the flashback, and takes her by the hand. "Let's go," he says.

Korra has dived into the water after her District Partner. Bolin and Opal run towards Zuko's Games as fast as Bolin's injury can manage.

[X]

Zuko does not let go of Mai until they step out of the pitch black mist. She punches his chest, but steps back and raises her bow when she hears the company they have run right into.

Hyunara, Izumi, Sokka, Suki; they have claimed the Sanctuary Square as their encampment.

Katara draws water from the bottomless pool, Zuko slides into a fighting stance, and Mai draws the string tighter with the strength she has left.

Hyunara approaches them, walking across the spoke of the wheel. Her allies remain behind, guarding the Sanctuary Square in silence.

"I didn't expect you to run into us like this. I guess we don't have to look for you," she says with a smug smile. Her teeth make Katara shiver. "Don't look so sad. None of you stood a chance."

"Overconfidence is not very attractive," Mai snarls, still rattled from Azula.

"No, I suppose not. Beauty _would_ matter so much to you three. It's the only reason you're alive, after all. I almost forgot I was in the presence of the dream team of dreamy teens, and the Presidents vapid sex toy." She smiles again. Mai notches an arrow, but her hands have not stopped shaking since Kya's face appeared in the sky; she needs a better opportunity to take a shot. "You know, I had a family once. I had a fiancé and a daughter not much older than yours. He was killed right in front of me and my daughter died in the 72nd Games." Pause. "Is your little girl watching? I think you dying by my hand would be a very satisfying revenge. It would certainly prove the point that witnessing the gruesome death of someone you love is torture."

"Shut up," Zuko says.

"Oh, leave it alone, lover boy." Hyunara turns to Mai. "I hear the loss of a parent can be very traumatic." Her gaze transfers to Katara. "Don't you think, District 4?"

Katara jumps forward, tackling Hyunara. She pins her down, not letting her bend or strike back. She freezes the water onto her fingers as claws. Claws versus fangs. Katara raises her hand to stab Hyunara with blades of ice when _BANG_ , a cannon fires and Hyunara falls limp, an arrow through her left eye.

Slowly, Katara stands.

"You aren't a killer," Mai says, and they say no more before rushing towards the allies of their fanged friend.

[X]

Back in Opal's Games, Azula slowly opens her eyes. She has never felt so cold in her life.

As the pain registers, she bites down on her lip to keep from screaming. She remembers the water, reaching for the surface, weak, the blood pouring from her wounds. Azula thought she was going to die in those freezing waters. To drown is the worst way to die she can imagine.

"Are you up?" Korra asks, tossing the water she bent off of her and Azula away.

Azula turns to look up at her savior. She sees she is on the banks of the pond still. The terror of drowning keeps her heart racing, even after she has lost enough blood to make her dizzy.

"Why did you help me?" Azula whispers, the words a struggle to form.

"Because I promised Asami I wouldn't let you die in here," Korra vehemently replies.

Azula closes her eyes.

Heroes make her sick, even when they rescue her.

Knowing her sister is in captivity or dead makes her sicker.


	25. Book 2: The Sky is Falling

**A/N:** _This is the last chapter of_ _When Lightning Strikes_ _. I'm really excited to share the intense ending of this book, and the beginning of Part Three (_ _Pyromaniac_ ), _which will also be about fifteen chapters. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you're enjoying the show._

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen  
The Sky is Falling**

* * *

 _Let the sky fall  
When it crumbles  
We will stand tall  
Face it all together  
"_ _Skyfall" — Adele_

* * *

A fruitless fight with the careers turns violent when the same creatures that attacked Katara when she was with Kya, Korra and Azula appear out of nowhere and divide them. They chase the trio of Katara, Mai and Zuko through the cold desert tundra of the 60th Harmony Games, separating the two groups and ending the battle.

"Don't let them get you!" screams Katara, dodging the teeth of one beast with a battle roll.

"I wasn't planning on it," smoothly replies Mai as she jumps away from one of them.

The creatures continue the violet pursuit towards the outer wall of the Arena and Mai stumbles forward. Zuko lunges, pushing her back into Katara's arms and slamming against the forcefield. He screams, but the quick shock is nothing compared to the creature sinking its teeth into Zuko's arm.

Katara lets Mai go, falls beside him with tears swelling in her cobalt eyes and tries to do what she can for the grisly wounds.

Mai cannot stomach it and vomits all over the foliage, which does not help the situation in the slightest. Katara fails to heal him and sits down for the night.

"We have to be watching him, at least one of us," Katara says as soon as she lifts the water from his skin. "There's a venom in their teeth."

Mai gives a single, queasy nod and lies down against a tree.

Zuko closes his eyes, still hissing and wincing from the burning pain.

[X]

The next morning, in the 68th Games, Korra sits with her arms around her legs and her knees pressed to her lips. Azula sleeps in front of her, or perhaps lies unconscious. When the elder girl's eyes open slightly, Korra sits up straight.

"Azula," Korra hastily says, trying to catch her before she falls back to sleep, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Why not?" asks her district partner, waking at the sound of the Avatar's words. She feels numb, which is either a bad thing or a good thing. Azula does not want to guess either way.

Korra inquires, looming over her former mentor, "If you made these Games, did you plan on volunteering the whole time?"

"Yes," Azula whispers, closing her eyes again. She does not drift back to dreamland because Korra keeps speaking.

"Do you think you secretly wanted to die?" breathes the Avatar.

"I am hoping to survive these Games." Azula fully opens her eyes. "Is it morning or evening?"

"Morning," Korra replies.

Azula asks, "Did anyone die yesterday?"

"Hyunara," is Korra's blunt, swift answer.

"I didn't expect that," Azula murmurs, struggling to stay awake.

Korra drops a silver package. "We got food too. I tried to get you up but you were out cold."

"I _feel_ cold," Azula says, eyeing the food soup in a silver thermos. "And I'm nauseous."

"You should eat," Korra insists, and Azula would slap her if she had the energy in her limbs. "You've lost a lot of blood and I don't want you to die. Those wounds aren't… Hama didn't send any medicine. It might be too expensive."

"Fine. Just…" Azula groans. She cannot bear this humiliation. "Never mind."

"You want me to help you?" Korra asks. The question is not mocking, which makes it somewhat more tolerable.

"Yes," hisses Azula.

Korra cannot hide her pleased smirk as she props up Azula's head on her knee and lifts the thermos to her lips.

[X]

Meanwhile, at the edge of the 60th Games, freezing cold in the night but warm from Bolin's feverish skin, Opal finishes bandaging her bleeding wrist. She feels a surging pain inside of it and knows the plant she nicked it on was poisonous. What she thought was a tree branch had _teeth_ and the skin around the scratch on her wrist is already looking gangrenous after a single night.

Opal jumps when trumpets blare and Bolin jolts awake.

The voice of Hiroshi Sato declares, "I have the honor of inviting you all to a Feast. Now, before you decline my invitation, I want you to know that, like these are no ordinary Games, this is no ordinary Feast. Each of you needs something desperately: the antidote to the Arena's venom."

Opal looks at her own wrist and the bloody bandages. She has to keep hiding it from Bolin. Why do they not offer medicine for his leg? Why have they been forsaken? Azula has evidently not recovered from Mai's attempt on her life. She does not know about anyone else, but she imagines at least a few of them are in poor shape, if not all.

Hiroshi Sato continues, "Each of you will find that antidote in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Sanctuary Square at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For all of you, this is a matter of life and death."

It certainly is life and death; they are trying to make a second bloodbath.

Bolin startles Opal when he speaks, "Opal," he croaks, "is your wrist still bad?"

"Not really. It's nothing that can't get patched up later," Opal says, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I don't think that antidote will help much with your leg, and that's what matters right now."

"I could go get the antidote for you. My leg is beyond repair," says Bolin, and tears blossom in Opal's eyes.

"I don't want to leave you, but I…" Opal shakes her head.

Her wrist does not matter as much as his life.

[X]

Azula thinks she heard the message about the Feast, but maybe it was a hallucination. Then Korra looks down at her, sapphire eyes wide.

"I'm going to the feast. I bet you anything the antidote is all that bad wound of yours needs," Korra says, wiping her face.

Azula forces herself to nod. "You should go get that backpack," she whispers.

"I want you to come with me," says Korra.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like the idea of getting separated."

"I'm not in any condition to walk."

"I'm in perfect condition to carry you."

"Just support my arm," Azula snarls as Korra helps her up. "I have no desire to be flaunted as the Avatar's backpack."

"I could go for bridal style," Korra teases, laughing as she speaks.

"You would look like an ape that abducted a princess," spits Azula as she wraps her arm around the Avatar. Korra snickers even if the joke is at her own expense.

"I'm calling you princess from now on. I hope you know that."

"Well, then you're Gorilla Girl."

"Okay, we're Princess Trustworthy and Gorilla Girl. They could make comic books about us!"

"I like it better than the Phoenix and the Avatar." Azula smiles, just a little bit. Korra grins at her. "Oh, stop flattering yourself. I have lost a lot of blood and so everything seems clever and funny to me. Once we get that antidote I will be back to hating you."

"Welp, I prefer it that way." Korra starts walking and Azula hurries along with her.

They have to get to the Sanctuary Square before everyone else to even stand a chance.

[X]

Katara has been unofficially elected as leader, which means she must make the decision about the Feast. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Zuko will die without it. I know it'll be another bloodbath but we have to go. He can't die."

Mai says nothing.

Zuko groans. "I'll go with you. It's just my arm and I can bend with my feet and left hand."

"Good plan. I don't want to lose you." Katara turns to Mai. "Are you coming or do you want to go rogue again?"

"I'm coming," Mai says, standing up. She wavers on her feet.

Katara swiftly stands up. "Let me examine you first. I'm concerned about your state."

"I haven't been poisoned."

"That's not what I'm worried about. Please sit down again."

"Katara, we don't have time for this."

"The Feast isn't for another hour. Just humor me, will you?"

Mai does a favor for her friend. She leans back against the tree. Katara leaves Zuko's side—he currently focuses on sitting up and getting ready to fight—and touches Mai's forehead first. That was the first concern of hers. Fevers are not good.

"Are you in pain?" Katara asks.

"Yes. My legs are killing me and I'm covered in bruises and scratches and my chest hurts for no damned reason and my stomach hurts and—"

"How's your breathing?"

"We should go to that Feast. I can worry when I get out of this place," Mai says, standing up.

Katara purses her lips but does not protest.

She can get Mai properly analyzed once they get rescued.

[X]

Before the Feast, Bolin looks up at Opal. "Please come back."

"I'll see you at sunset," she says, kissing his cheek.

"I'll see you at sunset," he repeats to comfort himself.

They meet eyes for a few long moments. Opal kisses him on the lips and then straightens her back. She forces herself to run away, but cannot stop herself from looking over her shoulder. He gives her a thumbs up, she shakes her head, and then resumes her race towards the Sanctuary Square.

This is the most painful thing Opal has ever done.

[X]

The Gamemakers beat the tributes by making them all arrive at the same time despite varying departures. Every remaining tribute emerges from the black mist and sees a table with four backpacks on it. The district number of the poisoned tribute has been painted on each one.

Korra releases Azula. Mai pushes Zuko back towards the mist. Opal tries to blend in and be overlooked. Sokka sets Suki down on the ground, while Izumi confidently begins her walk to the Sanctuary Square.

She goes down by way of lightning. A cannon fires as the electricity surging from a half-dead tribute crashes.

Korra glances down, "Nice aim, Princess Trustworthy."

When the battle begins, every tribute imagines the Capitol salivating over such a show. No one will escape uninjured. Korra punches Sokka square in the jaw as she grabs her bag and starts weaving backwards away from the battle.

Zuko earns a stab in the shoulder from Sokka. Mai pushes him into the water, but it is his element and does nothing but briefly subdue him. Opal grabs her bag and sneaks away, using the chaos as cover.

Azula stumbles towards the Sanctuary Square and makes a second kill. Sokka.

Suki throws Mai to the ground with ease, knocking the winds out of her. She disables Katara, twisting her arm and pushing her down. Zuko falls prey to her as well as she pushes him by his injured arm onto the wall of the Sanctuary Square.

Korra imprisons her in metal.

"Let's go!" the Avatar exclaims, glancing at her allies. She does not know what they will do, if they will separate again, if they will fight, but she knows she wants to get away from here.

Another cannon fires when Mai fires her penultimate arrow between the bars of Korra's trap.

Now they run. Korra seizes Opal and Katara grabs Mai. Zuko runs, Korra supports Azula's arm and their flight leads them directly into the 60th Harmony Games. Zuko shivers, and not from the cold.

They glance around at each other. Only rebels remain. That sinks in deeply and painfully.

The group takes the time to open the backpacks. They are empty. Mai hurls Zuko's at a tree, Azula burns hers to a crisp and Opal crumples hers in her hands. The latter rebel looks up, then looks around at Zuko's Arena. She remembers who waits for her.

"I have to go back for Bolin!" Opal shouts, leaping to her feet.

Katara lunges to grab her, to stop her, but she soars between her fingertips on the breath of the wind. Opal runs away and vanishes as the sun sets in the Arena.

"Well, we all fell for that one," Azula whispers. She is not trying to be quiet; the weakness has just become apparent again. "Given the poison in some of our bloodstreams, I suggest we hurry."

"To my Games?" Mai asks, somehow keeping her emotions controlled.

"You two can resolve this later. We need to get going," Katara snarls, taking charge.

No one argues with her. Korra picks up Azula again and they all begin the frantic rush to the edge of Zuko's hologram.

They run and run and run until they enter the vibrant paradise of the 65th Games.

"Keep going," says Azula, and they listen.

They race down the trees that Mai finds very familiar, towards the mountain. Yet, as they reach the point where Mai said her last goodbyes to her district partner, the hologram vanishes, leaving only metal beneath their feet, black mist to either side and an infinite storm above.

"I'm alive," says Mai, touching her arm just to be sure.

"I know," retorts Azula. "Now let's start climbing, shall we?"

She nods at the structure recreated from Mai's Games.

[X]

At the top of the ladder, Mai gazes intently at the small, red, flickering light on the dome of the Arena. There is no mountain, but she knows she is supposed to trigger something akin to an avalanche. She takes her final arrow and places it on the bow. Her fingers rest there for a moment. No one knows why she freezes.

"Save the best shot for last," Zuko prods. It is the first thing that comes to mind, and someone needed to say something to her to make sure all is well.

"Yes," Mai softly says. "Save the best shot for last."

What happens next is a blur. She pivots on her heel, the arrow sings and pierces its target.

Azula screams when the arrow punctures her chest… and plummets off of the edge of the platform.

Korra vaults over the railing to follow her as Zuko pulls Mai to the metal floor and pins her there. Katara thinks fast and steadies her stance before pulling the water in the dam as hard as she can. It bursts, the metal screeching and groaning.

The flood begins like a tsunami.

Zuko barely has time to look up as he sees the water hurtling towards them, an all-consuming tsunami. The platform snaps and Zuko thinks he is going to die, thinks that all of the bones in his body have just broken; his nose burns and his insides feel like they are exploding. But as the flood spreads, he collects himself and realizes Mai's wrist is slipping out of his hand.

He chokes, looks up and starts swimming towards the small shreds of light that mark the surface. Mai is with him, and he is pulling on her, and then he hits a dead end. His back smashes against one of the huge metal fixtures of the arena and he pushes off with one foot to get to _air_ at all costs.

Mai's wrist slips away.

When he surfaces, he gasps and coughs and now is certain that he is going to drown. He hears five cannons go off and thinks one of them is his own before he realizes he is breathing. But there is no way he will last long.

He gazes up at the eternal storm.

Korra rises, eyes glowing brighter than the lightning.

The storm stops raging when the Arena shatters.

Water pulls at Zuko, dragging him down as the world erupts and burns and floods around him. Glass pours down from the sky. The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling. He does not have the energy left to fight, and so he begins sinking further and further.

His eyes close as his lips and nose disappear beneath the surface.

* * *

Korra wakes up on a hovercraft. Her whole body hurts, but the side pressing against the cold metal floor aches the worst.

She doesn't remember a thing after throwing herself off of a railing. Azula can't have made it. Korra can't have made it. Did she just get lucky? Is she waking up on one of the hovercrafts they use to remove the dead?

No, she hears…

"Hama?" Korra croaks. She pushes herself to her feet and sees Zuko still lying unconscious. His arm looks much better and he is still breathing, but something knocked him out cold.

"In here!" calls out her mentor.

Korra walks – well, limps – towards the sound of Hama's voice.

"Hama?" she repeats.

She steps into the central room of the hovercraft and sees four people standing around a glowing map. Hama is directly across from her with Katara on one side and Azula on the other.

"Korra?" asks a voice that is not Hama's.

It is Azula.

Korra's eyes flash wide. "You got shot. And fell. Did I save you?"

"You jumped after me, I hear. You're as stupid as ever," Azula remarks. She looks the worst out of everyone here, but she is still breathing and standing.

"Well, you owe me one for jumping off that thing to save you." Pause. "What happened? We were…" Korra does not even know where to begin.

"You went into the Avatar State and broke the arena. It was more impressive than my water trick, I must say," Azula remarks.

"Mai?" No one says a word. Korra frowns. Then it hits her. "Asami?"

Azula licks her lips. "Asami is in the Capitol."

Hama adds. "They took her and Ty Lee prisoner, as well as Bolin and Opal from the Arena and June on our way to the hovercraft. I have sources on the inside after decades as rebel, and they all are alive as of now to be used as leverage, but I can't imagine they will be permanently. If they are alive, we will save them as soon as possible."

"Where are we going?" Korra demands.

Katara gently answers, "We're on our way to District 10. To Zaofu."

Korra sits down on the floor.

Her head spins too hard to make sense of this.

 **END BOOK TWO**


	26. Book 3: No Survivors

**_A/N:_** _Asami gets to be badass this chapter and from now on after it. I know she's less adept at combat than Korra which is why I wrote her as weaker in the earlier books, but the events of the Quarter Quell have started a fire inside of her that I'm thrilled to share. Also, I know the characters sort of take on roles of the characters in the Hunger Games from time to time. I think I'd call Azula more of a President Coin than the character I chose to lead District 10, so I promise I'm not turning said character into someone evil for the sake of homage to the inspiration for this fic._

 _Again, thank you so, so much for reading all the way to the third book and I hope you enjoy the show._

* * *

 **Book Three  
** **Pyromaniac**

* * *

 _"_ _Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to truth, follow only beauty, and obey only love."  
_ _-Kahlil Gibran-_

* * *

 **Chapter One  
** **No Survivors**

* * *

 _"_ _Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great."  
_ _-Roger de Rabuton de Bussy-_

* * *

Asami does not know how long she has been here.

But she does not think she remembers anything before these fluorescent white lights that do not let her sleep or properly see the faces of her captors. She knows who they are, despite the fact that they look only like shadows in this haunted place. Haunted because the screams echo at night. Or maybe in the day. Asami does not know anymore.

No one has touched her or harmed her physically, at least not yet. The sleep deprivation and disorientation from the lighting have damaged her psyche and watching every second of Korra and Azula on the Harmony Games hurts her heart, but no one has ripped out of her fingernails or cut off her toes yet. She has just been locked in a white, lonely, claustrophobic room. Once a day they bring her food. Or at least, she thinks it is once a day.

Today—tonight?—is unusual. She hears screaming in here every day, but she recognizes the angry yelling coming down the hall. Opal. It is Opal. Asami last saw her in the Arena before the feed cut out and the Harmony Games ended.

"Let go of me, you brute! Let me stay with Bolin!" she hysterically screams, until someone muffles her voice.

Asami remembers every second of the Quarter Quell, even if she no longer remembers most things in the world. The Games are mandatory viewing even if locked in a cell. They threw her back in here right after Mai shot Azula and Korra's eyes began to glow and she does not know what became of those she loves dearly.

Suddenly, the door to her cell opens. She sees her escort—former escort—disheveled like never before, and the hands of faceless men throwing her inside. Ty Lee falls onto her knees and Asami leaps up to help her to her feet.

"Asami," murmurs the older woman, squinting. Her large eyes glisten even more than usual in this bright lighting.

"Yes," Asami whispers, unable to express how grateful seeing a familiar face makes her. "Did they take you too?"

"Mhm." Ty Lee sits down with her back against the clean white wall. She then frowns, an action that hurts from lack of practice. "Do I look terrible?"

Asami sweetly says, "You look as beautiful as you always do."

 _You look like an answered prayer,_ Asami thinks to herself. She needed to know that at least one person she loves lived.

Ty Lee blushes. "You're not as good at lying as your sister, but thank you."

Asami asks, stumbling over her words from exhaustion and excitement, "Have you been here since before the Games too?"

"Yeah." Tears swell in Ty Lee's eyes. "They took me from the launch room."

Asami closes her eyes and nods. She recalls the pain of fists against her skin as Korra rose helplessly into the Arena. "Me too, but from Korra's. I hope they're okay."

"They are. They're like the strongest people I know in the whole world." Ty Lee smiles as she thinks about how she _knows_ Azula and Korra _must_ be safe.

"I think I heard Bolin and Opal," Asami whispers. "They might've taken all of the tributes."

"Maybe," Ty Lee replies, now disheartened. She wants to keep her hopes up about Azula, but that gets harder by the minute. "I don't really know what to do."

"There isn't anything we can do," Asami regrets to say. She thinks about one of her favorite victors, and how she was brave enough to say, _'There is always something we can do.'_ But Katara is likely dead or worse and maybe her words do not matter anymore.

Ty Lee rubs her eyes. The last remnants of her make-up leave smears all over her trembling fingers. When she sees it, she begins to cry. She has held her tears in for her entire imprisonment, even watching Azula almost drown, but now they pour and pour. Asami knows she should comfort her, but she would not know where to begin.

They merely sit there in soft silence, two broken women bathed in blinding white light.

* * *

Many miles away, in the metal Capital City of District 10, Korra wakes up more than once, but her dizziness stops her from surveying her surroundings or thinking much about her situation. After several brief surfaces, she wakes as if someone poured ice water on her and reaches out to seize the doctor's wrist, digging her fingers in as forcefully as she can muster.

"Where am I?" Korra croaks, sapphire eyes wide.

"District 10," stammers the doctor, prying off the Avatar's vivacious grasp.

"District 10 _isn't real_!" Korra shouts, her voice cracking from uncontrolled emotional agony. "Whatever mind game the Capitol is playing, I'm not playing with them anymore! Show me Asami! Do something! Do something!"

She does not see the anesthesiologist creeping up from behind to inject a strong sedative into her IV. Her eyes lull and she falls back onto the hospital bed.

And, upstairs, Azula sits beside Hama across from the Beifong Sisters in a metal room on opposite sides of a conference table. This is the Command Center of the city and Azula has waited for months to sit within it. Lin exudes strength and confidence, leaning forward and daring Azula to make a wrong move. Suyin leans in her chair, far more reserved, but with scrutiny and caution in her eyes.

"I did everything I promised and then some," Azula reiterates, clasping her hands atop the table. "You can trust me."

"You couldn't do anything to make me trust you," calmly replies Lin, snorting for good measure. "But, we don't have anyone better so I guess we have to settle."

Hama laughs. Azula's face reddens.

"Well, if you have no one better," says Azula after a deep breath, smirking at her own cleverness, "then I demand you rescue the captives at the soonest opportunity and I get to control the project. You have veto power, of course, but I know what I am doing. Wars can be won or lost in the editing room and I am a _very_ good editor."

Suyin sits back in her chair, her pretty face contorting into an emotionless mask. Lin purses her lips, clearly aggravated.

Finally, Lin Beifong is the one to speak. "I'm in charge of our military forces and I'll allocate resources to rescue of the captives."

"What does your editing look like?" Suyin asks, tapping her manicured fingers together.

"We film propaganda," Azula says, thinking of her father's methods. "We set Korra up as the savior of the world and me as the next leader of the new, freed United Republic."

"I might've just changed my mind," says Lin, scoffing and shaking her head. The _nerve_ of this girl. "You want to be President Shinohai?"

Azula coolly corrects, " _Interim_ President Shinohai."

Suyin gives her more of a chance and warmly inquires, "How long is interim?"

"Eight to twelve months while we restore order," Azula crisply replies, explaining with pure confidence in her gilded eyes. "Then we will hold a proper, general election. I think we need a proposed rival to my father who people would find more palatable. Korra is not that. I am that. The Phoenix will symbolize the rebirth of a beautiful nation from its ashes."

"Its ashes?" Lin asks, _almost_ smiling at the image.

Azula purrs, "Once we storm the Capitol and seize power for the rebels."

Suyin nods, but then faintly frowns. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but, first, we must get the districts on our side."

Azula smirks. "Good. I will get Korra, and then we will get started."

* * *

In the Capitol, Mai rises from the dead, or something close to that. She remembers taking in a last breath of water, remembers having no way out of drowning, but as she becomes further conscious she sees a white room and a man and a woman.

"No electricity on the girl. She's still pregnant," murmurs the woman, and Mai drifts away again, despite the terror surging in her chest.

The next time she wakes, she forces her legs to move in order to keep herself awake. She looks to her left and sees the IV in her arm. Mai thought she would be killed for what she did, but an IV means they want to keep her alive. She turns to her right and sees the handcuff locking her right wrist to the white cot.

Mai feels the discomfort of a beautiful white dress on her. Someone clothed her to be beautiful despite being imprisoned and probably on the verge of mutilation or torture.

She needs out.

Mai reaches up with the numb hand hooked to the IV and reaches for her number cuffed hand. She takes a deep breath, holds it and snaps down on her own finger. _Crack_. She winces, but reminds herself of the _no electricity on the girl_ conversation and snaps the next, and the next, and the next, until tears stream silently from her eyes.

Yet, her work pays off, and she slides her hand from the cuff. Despite its immobility, she manages to tear the IV out of her arm with it. She swings her legs up and steps down from the cot, stumbling through the room with surgical—hopefully surgical—equipment cluttered on the clean white counters.

She limps down the hall, dizzy and fatigued from the drugs.

Mai does not know where she is. She sees locked doors with small, barred windows. Unsurprisingly, they locked her up in a blindingly white jail. She keeps stumbling and limping and grabbing at the walls to keep herself steady.

She needs to find an exit. Mai does not know what comes after that, but she has to get out of here. Then she hears a shriek and a familiar voice. It stops her in her tracks because it belongs to Ty Lee. Mai tries to find the door, wanting to slap herself during every second she wastes.

When Mai turns the corner, something sharp digs into her neck. She cannot even scream before she crumbles onto the floor.

[X]

"She's waking up again," says the woman. She sounds so _fuzzy_ to Mai.

Mai feels the restraints on her arms and legs first. _No, no, no_. They are far more difficult to free herself from. She thinks she might have lost her chance to escape.

"She is," the man gravely replies, as if that is a bad thing.

As Mai sees the crisp, terrifying room around her, she thinks it just might be.

"Call the President; he wanted to be here when she woke."

"Of course." The woman bows swiftly and leaves the room.

Mai tries to keep focused, but the world does not make much sense. Time no longer seems to exist. She exhales softly as she passes out.

"I was getting worried about you," says Ozai, and his tone is anything but caring. "How are you feeling?"

Mai does not have a snarky retort; she is too tired. Her eyes droop and the bright fluorescent lights seem eerily dim.

"How am I alive?"

"Azula didn't build water in that bottomless pool," says Ozai, glad to explain the brilliance of the plan. He may not have captured Avatar Korra with it, but it was a brilliant trap. "It was fluorocarbon that is often used for novelty products and torture. Fluorocarbon is a liquid that humans can breathe, although it does feel exactly like drowning and one can pass out from the terror."

"Is it alive too?" Mai whispers, oddly hopeful. Maybe she does want it, if only slightly.

"Yes," replies Ozai. "Which is a very good thing for you."

Mai pretends to ignore the threat of torture and says, "I don't know why it wouldn't be. I don't know anything about whatever Azula threw me into. I doubt her girlfriend does either."

"I know. You never supported the rebellion because it would end very poorly for you. The escort is too dumb and Azula too smart to know a thing."

"Then let us go," Mai orders, but her voice echoes weakly and gives her no strength.

He almost laughs at her overconfidence. "No, see, the problem is that the Capitol can't go easy on traitors just because they weren't masterminds of the betrayal."

"I shot Azula. Korra broke your Arena," Mai says, unsure exactly what she means by it all. "And I knew nothing about a rebel plan. If I did, I would've gone against it even more than I did. I know what happens to me if rebels win; I am not stupid. They do not see me as on their side."

"We discussed how your actions repeatedly over the past ten years and since you volunteered for the Quarter Quell have flaunted your loathing for the Capitol. Ty Lee is invaluable leverage and _also_ a traitor to the Capitol. This conversation is over," he calmly says, inserting a needle into the IV.

"But I just woke up," murmurs Mai.

The request does nothing to stop the liquid surging into her IV.

Darkness consumes her.

* * *

In District 10, Azula enters Korra's metal room with zero décor other than medical tools. This place has no flash, charm or taste, in Azula Shinohai's person opinion. The Avatar eagerly sits straight up in her metal cot, tugging at her itchy IV and grinning from ear to ear.

"Finally! Somebody can answer my questions!" she exclaims, grinning.

Azula sharply nods. "I will tell you all I can while we head to the President's Office."

"I thought we were in Zaofu." The Capitol of the Metal District. Korra has seen the pictures of the rubble, but this place gleams as if it was untouched by war.

"We are. They do not have a President Shinohai; They have a President Beifong. Now get up and get dressed." Azula sets clothes down on the counter. Korra sits up, tears her IV from her arm, and changes. "We should get going."

The two girls walk through the halls of District 10. Korra stares at the shimmering metal that surrounds her. The hallways made of metal, the ceilings of metal, the doors… also metal. She read about this city; the Capitol said they destroyed it, but, here it is, alive and well.

"Did they rebuild or has it always been here?"

"They survived the attacks. President Shinohai left them alone so long as they kept to themselves inside of the walls."

"Is Asami really in the Capitol?" Korra asks, trying to slow down. She wants to run there.

"Yes," Azula says, freezing in place and somberly turning to Korra. So is Ty Lee. But I made them promise to rescue them both and Bolin and Opal and Mai and anybody else."

"What if we can't rescue them? What if he kills them?" Korra croaks, her enthusiasm snuffed out in an instant.

"I assure you that he is doing worse things to them than execution." Azula's eyes suddenly glimmer as tears blossom in them. Korra stares at her feet, ashamed to look at the strong woman breaking down over something like love.

"I wish they were dead," Korra whispers, attempting to comfort Azula but not knowing exactly how to do so. "I wish they were dead and we were dead too."

"I know the feeling," Azula says, her voice constricted with emotion. She then clears her throat and straightens her back. "Now pull yourself together. We have an important meeting with the Beifong Sisters to attend. They reign over District 10 and we owe them fealty."

"Mai is alive?" asks Korra, tilting her head to the side. She thinks the President's wife might be the worst wild tile out there.

"Yes. They were supposed to save her; she was supposed to be our leverage. Unfortunately, her cannon fired and these fools believed she was dead." Azula rolls her glittering eyes. "No one should trust my father."

They take a groaning metal elevator up and enter the office on the top floor. Korra runs in and hugs Hama tightly. Hama returns the embrace with fervor and Korra turns to look at the two women confidently sitting at the conference table.

"Korra," kindly says Suyin, "when you broke that Arena, you broke the Capitol's hold on the Districts. There have been strikes and uprisings and a fire that the Avatar started. But it isn't enough yet. We need an army; not just angry citizens. You can rally the people, and only you."

"I'm not interested," spits Korra, and Azula's eyes flash. "You bring me Asami alive and well, and I'll rally your army. Until then, my answer is no."

"Korra, please," says Suyin, but as she stands up, Korra storms out of the room.

Azula rolls her eyes as she gazes after her.

"I guess she's still stubborn and strong," growls Lin, pleased by that sole quality of the girl. "It's what we need, if we had her on our side."

"Then rescue Asami," snaps Azula, crossing her arms.

"We need opportunity to do that," says Lin, leaning forward with a fierce expression. "There's a lot of strategy involved in sneaking into the Capitol to rescue their most valuable prisoners."

"You have contacts there," Azula snaps.

"Spies, not soldiers," Lin snaps. "I will save the prisoners. I keep my promises. But I can't execute that blow yet. You promised us a lightning rod. I just see a piece of scrap metal."

Hama exhales slowly, sighing through her nose and says, "The Games break people. You would not understand."

Suyin makes eye contact with Azula Shinohai and states clearly, "Work on her. Tape her together long enough for us to use her."

Azula shakes her head. "I am not the person for that; she hates me and I hate her. But, that all aside, we don't need her calm and healed. That's the opposite of what the revolution needs. We need her to be _angry_. Right now she just wants to curl up with her wife and hide. We need her to want to make the bastards pay."

Lin turns to Suyin. "She doesn't know about 2, does she?"

"What about 2?" Azula demands, standing up.

Hama swallows as both Beifongs look to her. She explains, "They bombed it, Azula. They bombed it to ashes. As far as we know, there are no survivors."

"I want to see it. Korra can come with me." Azula spins on her heel and dashes after her former tribute.

She finds Korra clutching a silver railing, her shoulders shaking from hysterical sobs.

"What?" snarls the Avatar when Azula sets her hand on her back.

"We need to go on a little trip. Hama will arrange the hovercraft."

* * *

In the Capitol, Asami and her former escort walk down a hall in handcuffs.

The victor whispers to Ty Lee, "Distract him," as she nods at the guard transporting them through the facility. She has been watching the man escorting them and sees how casually he allows the key on his belt to wave loose at his hip.

"How am I supposed to distract him?" Ty Lee softly hisses, eyes wide.

"I don't know," Asami grumbles under her breath. "Tell him dirty limericks. Just give me some time."

Fear surges through Ty Lee. Her heart begins to palpitate, fighting against the exhaustion that overwhelms her at all hours. She never rose against authority. Not once. She was the _mouthpiece_ of the Capitol's justice for some time.

But she throws herself onto the floor and subtly trips the man. Asami kneels in one harsh fall and feigns touching Ty Lee's arm, swiping the key with her other hand. The peacekeeper pushes himself to his feet and yanks Ty Lee off of the white floor.

"You're cute, so I'll let that one slip," he says, and Asami almost laughs.

She thought the vetting process for these prison guards would be more thorough.

[X]

Asami holds the key between her knees, trying to hide it from the cameras she has noticed. She pretends to be bent over her legs in grief and pain. It will not look very different from her usual position since they brought her here. Ty Lee tries to do something to her nails; Asami has no clue what, but it looks painful.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asks, kneeling forward. Asami looks up at her and discreetly slides the key under her sweaty thigh.

"I'm taking action," Asami says, taking a slow breath. "Nobody is coming to save us, and I don't know what they'll do to us next. We have to find Korra and Azula. We _need_ them, don't we?"

"Yes," Ty Lee says, tears blossoming in her eyes.

"We're going to return to them. I promise," Asami squeezes her eyes shut and deeply inhales before she opens them again. The emerald glitters in the bright lights that never turn off, leaving the two women sleep-starved. "We're not going to take this lying down."

"But…" Ty Lee suddenly looks afraid. Maybe she at last understands.

"When I said there is _always_ something we can do, I meant it. I'm not going to be helpless. I'm not going to be the Avatar's damsel in distress anymore, and I'm not one of President Shinohai's toys. And you're not just an escort who likes to look pretty and fawn over my sister. We're soldiers now, and we're going to fight."

"That's… inspiring," Ty Lee chokes, her chest heaving with hyperventilation.

"I'm halfway through a plan. Trust in it, please. Trust me."

"I do," Ty Lee fiercely says, forcing a smile at her close friend.

Asami smiles back.

* * *

After stepping from the hovercraft in District 2, Korra stands as still as a statue and stares at smoldering ruins. She cannot move or breathe. Azula averts her eyes. She did not mean to do this. The smell of fire and burnt flesh replaces the sweet scent of the swamps.

Korra bends over with dry heaves. Azula looks down at the cracked, scorched ground. She has many dark things in her life, but nothing like this. Everything she knew here is nothing but a burnt echo of a world that never will exist again.

She never liked living here, but it never stopped being her home either. For the first time, she regrets never visiting. She had the clearance to travel between districts and never acted on it.

Azula looks up at the smoke still rising from the rubble. She does not want to gaze at the metal and rocks and try to discern what belonged to what business or study the skeletons and try to figure out who she is stepping on.

This place makes her sick, and due to more than the foul smell.

"Let's… go," Korra says, stepping forward. Something crunches beneath her feet and she stumbles backwards when she sees a skull. Azula catches her and guides her forward as they walk through what once was their home. "I meant back to 10."

"We should check the Victor's Village," whispers Azula, hoping that sight will be enough to remind Korra what she fights for.

Korra wildly shakes her head, but keeps walking anyway. They arrive at the beautiful gates and see their homes untouched.

"Why did they leave it?" asks Korra, bewildered by why this useless place would be spared.

Azula calmly answers, "Probably in case anyone needs to stay here while rebuilding. I am certain they plan to after they deal with the rebellion."

Korra swallows her angry words and trudges through the ashes until she reaches her old house. She walks inside, Azula following closely to make sure she does nothing stupid.

"No survivors," Korra says. Azula knows the Avatar does not pose it as a question, and so she does not answer. "No survivors. We did this."

"Indirectly, yes," Azula robotically says, avoiding showing her strong feelings.

Korra clenches her fists and growls at her former mentor, "You are extremely determined to never accept accountability for your actions. Your ego can't bear the thought of ever doing anything wrong, can it? _You_ killed all of these people."

"My _father_ killed these people," Azula insists, now truly defensive.

"LISTEN UP," screams Korra so loudly that Azula recoils. "THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR FATHER IS HOW YOU SPELL YOUR NAME!"

It hurts her throat to howl like that, but it makes the reality sink into Azula's mind much faster. Korra calls a sore throat a fair sacrifice for the look in her mentor's golden eyes. The Avatar closes her eyes and hangs her head.

How is someone supposed to react to this? How is someone supposed to look at what happened to their home and not feel immense guilt?

"I know," Azula replies, shocking Korra. Her eyes flash open and her posture stiffens. "I have always been very much like him, but I am on your side. The moment he took her away—no, the moment I stood in that Arena and lost everything I ever was in a few bolts of lightning—I knew we had to make the bastards pay somehow."

Korra turns away from Azula and starts walking through the smelly house. She quickens her pace as she reaches the outside of her home. Her gut clenches and she almost flees before she sees a puff of dirty white fur running towards her. She kneels down and strokes Naga.

"I guess there might've been a survivor," Korra whispers, touching her forehead to that of her polar bear dog. Azula touches her shoulder and she rises. "Naga comes with us."

"Fine," says Azula, walking towards Korra and Asami's home.

Korra dares to walk inside and looks around at the ash that lines surfaces. The Capitol did little damage to the Victor's Village, but it still bears scars of the attack. Korra walks deeper inside and then sees two skeletons, interlinked, charred, their humanity removed from them by fire and bombs.

The moment she recognizes her parents, she blacks out.

Azula watches the Avatar rise and holds up a hand to try to block the wind that smashes against her and sweeps up the ash into a cloud. Korra howls as her eyes glow blue and she clenches her fists, tearing up the ash and smashing the grains into smaller pieces. It bursts and shrouds her. Azula closes her eyes to stop them from stinging.

Slowly, she walks forward and grabs Korra by the wrist. Azula knows she is strong enough to defend herself, even against the allegedly powerful Avatar. Gradually, Korra lowers from the sky and blinks herself back to life. She kneels before the skeletons and Azula squeezes her shoulder, unsure how else to comfort a person.

"I found my mother's body," Azula says, not sure if it will help at all. "I can't know exactly how you feel, but I think I have a vague idea."

"You hated her," Korra snaps dismissively.

"Not really. Not so much that I wanted her to kill herself. She knew that the only difference between me and my father was how we spelled our names, now didn't she? But it took her a very long time to explain that to me. Once she did I chose to go into the Games. I was training for them when she died of an overdose. My stepfather was in the Capitol giving a presentation on a new invention and my sister was taking a nap upstairs. I went inside looking for her and… I didn't find what I was hoping to find."

Tears drip from Korra's sapphire eyes. Azula bites back her own.

"They're dead because of me," Korra ekes out between sobs.

"I know that feeling exactly. My mother is dead because of me and my father will be dead because of me very soon, I promise you. The only two people I've ever loved are being tortured or worse right now because of me."

"You sound angry, not regretful."

"I _am_ angry."

"How are we supposed to have hope when it doesn't… it doesn't exist."

"Well, rebellions are not built on hope. They are built on rage." Pause. "Are you angry right now Korra? Are you just _livid_?"

"I've never been so pissed off in my whole life."

"Good. Use it. Destroy the people who destroyed you."

"Make the bastards pay," whispers Korra, slowly standing up and forcing herself to look away from the dead bodies of her beloved parents. "But make me a promise, okay? Even if they wanna make another choice or we don't get in on the action, I want the last thing he sees before he dies to be my face."

"I can arrange that," Azula purrs in earnest. "We'll kill him no matter the cost."

Korra wipes away her tears and turns to her mentor.

She whispers, "I think I want to go now."

* * *

In the Capitol, the miniature rebellion continues to unfold. Asami breaks out of her cell and leaves Ty Lee behind, knowing the escort has no stomach for this business. In fact, Asami does not either, but she knows she must be brave for once.

After she spent time sneaking through the blinding white halls and took down a peacekeeper to steal his weapon, the lovely female interrogator with the dyed-purple skin and artificial beauty mark on her upper right lip walks out of the room from drowning Bolin more than once. She shuts the door behind her and starts walking to clock out before she feels the cold metal of a peacekeeper gun against her neck. But the voice she hears definitely does not belong to one.

"Hello there," whispers Asami Sato, trying to channel the strength of her wife. "We need to talk."

"Interesting way to start a conversation," says the sweating interrogator.

"It's an interesting kind of day. Open that door," Asami orders and the interrogator hesitantly does as ordered. When Asami steps inside, she almost falters at the sight of Bolin with bloodshot eyes gazing at Opal and reaching to hold her hand. Yet, their fingertips fall just short of each other, pinned down with cruel, cold restraints.

"I imagine you want me to release them? Neither is in any state to escape," smoothly says the interrogator, faking courage. Asami's grip on the gun does not slip.

"I want you to tell me where Korra and Azula are," Asami hisses.

The interrogator laughs until Asami presses the tip of the gun tighter against her skin. It slips on the slowly-chilling sweat.

"You thought they were here, didn't you?" she asks. "Not your beloved friends. Azula and Korra fled and left you here to die. Right now, they're cozy with the rebels and the other victors who managed to run away before the Capitol caught them."

"Korra would never run from a fight."

"She did. You ought to accept that, since I doubt you will find her. If President Shinohai cannot track them down, a deranged little heiress can't."

"Watch me," Asami says, overwhelmed by a thousand emotions. She tries to pull the trigger and kill the woman but cannot bring herself to do it. Instead, she smashes her elbow into the back of her head and the interrogator collapses to the floor. It makes Asami's stomach twist and she begins to cry before she composes herself. The woman lives. Asami has not killed her. Just Ikki. Just Eska. Just too many other lives snuffed out too soon.

"Asami," murmurs Opal and Asami nods. She walks over and removes the restraints from her tortured fellow victors.

"I'm here to save you. Can you walk?" she asks and Opal stumbles to her feet. Bolin gets up and groans from the pain, but he grabs her anyway to support his wife even if it makes his own body hurt. Asami squeezes her eyes shut and tries not to think about Korra yet. "We have to get Ty Lee on our way out. Was anyone else taken with you two?"

Opal nods. "They introduced us to June and Toph but I don't think there's anybody else."

"Okay. We'll find them, grab Ty Lee and get out of here. We need to get clothes. They'll see that we're prisoners the minute we get out if we don't."

"I don't know how."

"There's gotta be somewhere like a locker room where people change for work. At least I hope there is."

Bolin groans and shakes his head. "They'll recognize us. We have the most famous faces in the whole United Republic."

"It's better than nothing," says Asami.

Opal turns to Bolin and nods.

"Let's go," she whispers, stepping forward and setting her hand on the shimmering silver button that controls the door.

As it smoothly slides open, the captured victors stand ready to face the blinding white light outside and whatever hides in it.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I didn't intend to have an author's note at the end of this chapter, but I do want to throw an idea out there. Invictus has only ten-ish more chapters left and I've fallen in love with writing this Universe. I've written a number of scenes and sketches and concepts about a prequel to the fic that would follow the older victors over the course of the ten years before the 74_ _th_ _Harmony Games, centered on Mai as the protagonist but including Zuko, Katara, June and various others. I'll probably keep writing it for fun but if anyone would be interested in me sharing it, I would divert some more resources to cleaning it up and properly outlining it. I wouldn't release it until I'm done with this fic, but I'm just curious about interest._

 _The working title is The Sick Rose and the working summary is: "How a girl who sparked a revolution with an avalanche quenched the flames of rebellion and turned herself into ice. - Mai's story. Prequel to Invictus."_


	27. Book 3: Bones and Blood Clots

**Chapter Two  
** **Bones and Blood Clots**

* * *

 _"_ _I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I can no longer accept."  
_ _-Angela Davis-_

* * *

 ** _Between the 74_** ** _th_** ** _and the 75_** ** _th_** ** _Harmony Games, District 2_**

 _Sitting in the probending center, Korra curses under her breath while the emergency healer works on her broken ankle bone. She clenches and unclenches her fists while Iroh II watches._

 _"_ _This is killing me! I'm sick of life punching me in the face! I want to punch life in the face!" she growls from rage, punching the wall. It briefly disrupts the healer but Korra does not care._

 _Iroh II calmly says, "Korra, did you know that after the healing, your bone becomes stronger where it broke?"_

 _Korra snaps at her close friend, "Why should I care? Why should I care when every night I wake up screaming and every day I just get worse at probending?"_

 _"_ _Because people are much like bones; they mend, and sometimes become stronger in the broken parts," he explains, locking eyes with her._

 _Korra desperately wants to believe him._

* * *

In District 10, Korra sits on one of her two bedroom bunks. She stares at the metal wall—all things are _metal_ here and she never thought she would miss mud so much—while Hama sits in pensive silence across from her. Korra was offered her own place but she wanted to stay with the only person who could understand her in this world; the only family she has left.

She tries to think about what she can do, but the images of her destroyed district invade her mind, causing every sentence to fade away.

"How could that happen?" Korra asks again, as if she will get a better answer this time. "How could that happen to our _home_?"

Hama takes a breath and gives the same answer again, as if Korra will accept it this time. "That is what the Capitol does. Get used to it." Pause. "That's why we need to stop them. You know that, don't you?"

"I do," says Korra, sounding soft and muted. It is the first time Hama has ever heard her like that. Maybe she just is broken, or maybe Hama tries not to notice as she watches the light inside of Korra Raava fade away more and more every day.

"You have a meeting tomorrow morning with the Beifong Sisters. I took the liberty of arranging it for you but I would understand if you want to cancel."

"I want to cancel," Korra grumbles, pouting.

Hama shakes her head. "Listen, to me Korra; the best thing we can do is show the United Republic that the Avatar is alive and well, and wants to liberate them. You have made waves, but now that you are out of President Shinohai's iron grip you can start a tsunami."

"I hate these people just as much! They left Asami in the Capitol! They left Asami in the Capitol to _die_ and if they wanted me to help them they should have saved my wife! Or saved my parents!" Korra exclaims and Naga whimpers. She pets her polar-bear dog soothingly. "I'm not playing along with anybody anymore."

Hama furrows her brow. "You never were; you never let anyone push you around and you must not become complacent now."

"I'm the opposite of complacent! By not cooperating I'm making a stand!" Korra shouts.

Hama somberly shakes her head. "By not cooperating you are choosing to do nothing."

Korra pulls Naga closer to her and buries her face in the white fur. Her thoughts race until she finally catches one she trusts.

"Don't cancel the meeting," she loudly whispers.

Hama smiles wickedly and nods.

[X]

The next morning, Korra stands in front of the Beifong Sisters, Hama and Azula. She decided on her demands and she decided how to make a stand. They wait with bated breath for her to speak.

As confident as could be, Korra clasps her hands behind her back, straightens her posture and states, "Here are my demands. You will rescue the captives at the first opportunity and ensure their safety while in District 10. You will help me with my Avatar training and accept my leadership in the revolution. Then I will help you with whatever you need. _And_ I get to keep Naga; she's all I have left."

"We can satisfy those… requests," says Suyin Beifong with a somewhat comforting smile.

Korra sharply nods and exits the room without another word.

Turning to her side in a powerful snap, "What response was that?" Lin demands of her sister. "We can't let the animals run the damned zoo, Suyin."

"I don't think that's an appropriate analogy," Suyin chides with an annoyed twist of her lip.

Lin groans. "Fine, but we can't let Korra be in command. She's not capable of that kind of endeavor and we have been preparing for this for decades. She's been preparing since this morning."

"She's the Avatar," Suyin protests.

Lin could not possibly be more exasperated by this madness. "So what? That doesn't make her qualified at anything except bending all four elements."

Azula clears her throat. "You cannot control Korra. Better people have tried."

"We need to control Korra," Lin firmly states, clenching her fist on the table.

Azula purrs, "A revolution is like a fire. You need to nurture it and let it burn stronger. One certain way to put it out is by smothering it."

"So is using up all the oxygen in the room," Lin sternly retorts.

Azula bites her tongue.

[X]

Meanwhile in the Capitol, Asami guides Bolin and Opal through the halls. They cling to each other, supporting their bodies in unison. It makes Asami miss Korra, makes her feel like she was ungrateful for ever wishing she did not have Korra Raava in her life.

They find Ty Lee and Asami releases her from the cell. Then they must find the door that leads out in this sprawling maze of a prison.

"Where are Toph and June?" Asami asks, glancing over each shoulder as she helps her fellow victors and her former escort through the blinding white halls.

"I don't know," Opal says, and the sound of footsteps causes Asami to close her eyes.

"We just have to get out of here. No other options," she decides, as much as it makes her gut twist and her head spin.

They scurry through the halls, terrified of how lost they have become. But anything is better than enduring this torture and remaining imprisoned. At last, they reach a promising door, but two peacekeepers block it.

Opal acts first, hitting them both with a gale that knocks them against the walls. When one begins to crawl to his feet, Ty Lee's roundhouse kick to his face impresses the three victors. Bolin punches the second one in the cheek.

Asami emerges from behind the wall and slides the electric glove off of the left peacekeeper's forearm. "Let's keep going," she orders, and no one dissents.

They hurry through the now-unguarded door and rush down the streamlined hallway. Once they reach the end of it, they come to a hasty but staggering halt at an abandoned but tightly sealed and locked steel door. They must be in some kind of vault.

"Bolin, can you get us through?" Asami whispers, touching her hand to her chest. Her heart pounds beneath her soft palm.

He nods and looks both ways before he walks through and bends the metal keeping the door shut. It takes him long minutes that make Asami break out into a sweat.

Bolin grunts as he rips open the door and reveals a familiar lobby. It is the Tribute Center. The _Tribute Center_. Could they have managed to lock prisoners up in the basement during the Games and related madness? Asami supposes the Capitol has proven itself to be powerful beyond imagining.

"At least we know where to go," Ty Lee suggests, sounding as optimistic as ever. Asami admires that bubbly resilience for the first time. "We've all been around here before."

Bolin wipes the sweat from his brow and pulls Opal close to him.

"Let's go," Asami declares, sliding the glove onto her hand.

Her friends follow her through the towering glass doors onto the colorful streets of the Capitol.

[X]

Across town from the escapees, in the Presidential Palace, Mai does not decline the offer of a shower and a meeting about something presumably ominous and deplorable. It will not make her talk; she might as well enjoy the ill-conspired attempts to tempt her into doing so.

She steps inside of the mock stone enclosure and runs her sore, dry fingers across the buttons. This could not be a worse situation but she tries not to think about it.

Mai steps out into the hands of terrible, shallow, boring people who want to make her look pretty, which is always a bad sign. Yet, since she was a child she has always been a keychain with a political slogan slapped on it and therefore she no longer cares.

She lets these colorful clowns dress her and complain about the change in size of her stomach (she withholds a scathing and sarcastic comment about that _not being surprising_ ), and then lets them guide her under heavy guard to a brightly lit studio set up in the exquisite office of President Shinohai.

"Hi," says a woman with a small scar on her lip that does not detract from her russet eyes and neon skin. "I am the new Secretary of Communications and I am going to give you a quick briefing. It's very simple. Don't be Capitol. I want you to call on the woman who volunteered twice for the Games and tried to save that little street urchin assassin from his certain and just fate."

"What?" Mai has no idea what game they are playing.

The Secretary of Communications flashes a condescending smile. "The catch is that I need you to call for a ceasefire and denounce the Avatar."

Mai takes a slow breath through slightly parted lips.

[X]

Meanwhile, in District 10, Korra sits in the canteen for the first time. She looks around for Zuko or Katara, but ends up sitting beside Azula and Hama. The other victors are still nowhere to be found. Azula frowns at her plain water and dull, colorless food.

"I should have stayed on the Capitol," Azula complains before giving in and picking at the lifeless meal. "This place is boring and cold."

"Hate to say it, but I agree with you," Korra remarks as she sets down her tray. The rations seem to represent everything wrong with this place. "But the Capitol is corrupt and completely evil. This place is just awful and soul-sucking."

"Screwed either way." Azula gives a subtle, mocking toast with her dented steel cup.

Suddenly, the Capitol anthem plays and Azula jumps. She gasps in and swiftly forces the memories out of her mind, even if their invisible remnants leave her rattled and uncomfortable. Korra and Hama do not look much better.

Everyone turns around to face the televisions that are used for daily news and announcements (less colorful affairs than similar ones in Azula's glamorous home). She sees Varrick first. He gazes somberly at the camera, an expression no one here has ever seen on his face.

"I am here with one of the few survivors of the 75th Annual Harmony Games," he says. It strikes Azula as odd; the Capitol never implies the Games are tragic. "We know there has been unrest in the Districts, and the people deserve to know the truth of the nightmare in our nation."

Azula rubs her lips together when she sees Mai. She thought she might never see her only friend again, and she wonders if she should be less relieved after Mai shot and tried to drown her.

"I want to speak as someone from the Districts, someone who starved as a child and fought tooth and nail just to live on more than one occasion. I also speak as someone used and exploited by the rebellion. I never intended to be a part of it because I know it is the worst possible thing for the United Republic. We can't cure bloodshed with bloodshed."

"The people are gathering under the Avatar's symbol and fighting in her name. You knew her personally and allied with her in the Games; do you know anything we don't?"

"Hardly. I know she is inexperienced, hotheaded and hungry for power. But mostly, I know what we all learned in history class. We followed the Avatar before; it almost wiped us out to the point of extinction and in the Century of Ash we had armies. The Capitol is the heart of the United Republic and we the districts supply it with blood in exchange for life. The Avatar is a blood clot and must be disintegrated. I think we forget the lessons of history. She is the exact same person who left us in the past. She is the exact same person who should not be trusted."

Korra's jaw drops.

[X]

As Mai's continuing interview distracts everyone from the Capitol and the Districts, Asami and her companions run through the streets, trying to reach the trainyard. They know they can follow the tracks to freedom and have not thought much past escaping the Capitol's towering concrete fences.

"We have to go faster!" Opal shrieks when she sees bodies in white suits. "Let's go, let's go!"

She half drags Bolin with her as she hurries. Asami grabs onto Ty Lee and they dash a few steps behind. The peacekeepers stop for a moment and Asami immobilizes one of them with the lightning on her glove. Ty Lee takes one down, while Bolin and Opal keep running towards the train station in the distance.

Asami temporarily paralyzes another and Ty Lee agilely spins around another, shoving his back. He falls to the ground and Asami shocks him for good measure.

"We have to catch up to Opal and Bolin," Asami says in a panic. She makes sure to grab hold of Ty Lee when she picks up her pace again.

But then they hit it. They round a corner to a gathering watching the mandatory broadcast. The sea of people creates a blockade, and a peacekeeper guarding a shop points in their direction.

Asami and Ty Lee exchange a glance and fight for as long as they can.

But they lose.

Bolin stops in the ocean of Capitol citizens and Opal turns to him.

"I just need to catch my breath," he says, starting to falter on his injured legs. The effects of the torture were numbed by adrenaline but now he cannot ignore them. "You keep going and I'll meet you at the trainyard."

"I'm not leaving you. Not again," Opal shouts, clenching her fists. She already knows she has lost this argument but she cannot accept that reality.

"I'll come back to you," he insists with that lopsided smile she fell for. "You came back for me, remember?"

Slowly, Opal turns around. She knows what must be done, and so she runs, runs, runs with the bitter wind at her back.

When she at last escapes, she stands on the silver train tracks and trembles.

[X]

In the morning, Korra reports to an office down several flights of stairs. She punches her right fist into her left palm and says to Suyin Beifong, "Let's get started. I've been thinking about this since that _slander_ session on me aired and we have to get this done!"

She grins, because she has other plans in mind. Korra feels as clever and conniving as Azula herself as she reexamines the steps to get what she wants.

"I like your enthusiasm," says one of the two District 10 presidents. "We need to fight fire with fire and today we have a perfect opportunity to do so."

"Right. Get me in front of that green screen."

Azula is happy to oblige. "As soon as you get in your outfit."

Korra cocks an eyebrow.

"My outfit?" she asks, glancing between Azula and Suyin.

"Right this way," Azula replies with an evil little smirk. Korra clenches her fists as she walks into a storage closet turned dressing room.

Azula gestures to folded dark grey and cerulean fabric, with a hunk of metal attached. When she picks it up and unfurls it, however, Korra sees clothes that make her eyes widen.

It is a slate-hued suit with a slightly darker hardened plate over her vital organs, and on the left shoulder, spiky silver that reminds her of her costume for the 74th Harmony Games. Shimmering blue streaks across the grey like a wave and ripples in the light.

Korra grabs it while Azula grabs her hair and starts turning the messy ponytail back into her famous wolf-tails.

To the Avatar's surprise, the only bad part of the preparations is the sting of eyeliner.

[X]

Korra stands on a platform, tightly gripping a flag with four elements on it, looking glorious. She stands tall and proud as she declares with fervor, "This is the Avatar, and I have a message for President Shinohai. No matter what happens, no matter how crazy things get, I will _always_ try to restore balance. And when this revolution is over and we win, I still will make that my top priority. I might have been reincarnated from someone who let you all down but I am not an identical copy. I suffered in the Districts, I suffered from the Games; I am one of you and I will save you all to atone for my past life's mistakes."

Azula smirks from behind the camera.

This war _will_ be won in the editing room.

But then Korra crushes her dreams and schemes. She drops the flag and crosses her arms.

"There's your preview of what I've got, but I'm not doing this here anymore," says Korra. "I need to show the people that I'm keeping my promise. I need to _actually help_ and _actually_ _restore balance_. Take me to the war and give me the opportunity to do what the Avatar is _supposed_ to do."

"What the Avatar is supposed to do as restore balance; it does not have to be through combat."

"Well, for _this_ Avatar it isn't going to be through hairspray and green screens! I'm Avatar Korra Raava and I'm going to save the world, not become a movie star!"

Azula pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. This idiot just _has_ to destroy everything she does.

Suyin shakes her head. "It is much too dangerous."

But Lin interrupts, "No. It's what we need. She has to do it eventually, and so she is welcome to help out in District 8."

"District 8?" Azula tremulously asks. Korra notices something _human_ in her voice that is not usually present. She wonders why.

Lin sharply nods. "Yes. They were the first to rebel and are most desperately in need of our help. If you want to fight, that's where you'll fight."

"Alright," Korra eagerly agrees.

"And I suppose I will accompany you," Azula adds.

[X]

After Korra prepares herself, she follows Lin Beifong to meet Azula in the hovercraft bay. She sees her former mentor has a fancy new outfit too, but hers is suitable for the Phoenix. The material and style is the same but she wears blood red with a splash of fiery orange in place of blue and feathers carved on the solid gold shoulder plates.

Lin steps in front of Korra's gaze and gestures to three people she did not notice.

The president gruffly announces, "This is Jet, Smellerbee and Longshot."

"Interesting names," purrs Azula.

Jet sternly states, " _Callsigns_ , not given names. We're combat journalists with an emphasis on combat. But the is going to be mightier than the sword today."

"Could you kids hurry?" Lin demands, stepping onto the hovercraft.

They all follow her without another word exchanged.

[X]

Azula tries to keep from throwing up during the hovercraft ride. She keeps thinking about the first footage she saw of District 8; then she starts thinking about what her father took from her, what gave her the desire to help the revolution. But as she becomes nearer and nearer to the place her love was born, she struggles to breathe.

"You look concerned," Korra remarks, attempting to sound sympathetic. She fails.

Azula clinically replies, "I only want us to succeed in protecting and liberating this District."

Korra squints, because that did not sound like politician-speak. "Why do you care about District 8?" Korra inquires.

"Why do you care if I care?" Azula snaps.

Korra just shrugs.

At that moment, the hovercraft slightly lurches and begins to land. Azula strides down the ramp once it descends and glances around at the smoking ruins that look almost as bad as District 2. What draws her attention more than the barricades, however, is the singed sock of a child lying in the gutter. She stares at it until Korra nudges her and she begins to walk towards their greeting party.

The girl waiting for them in the rubble does not look anything like a soldier; she looks like a random civilian off of the street, the kind indistinguishable from any girl you sit next to in school. But maybe, Korra decides, that is the type of person who carries the rebellion on their shoulders. Everyday, ordinary people, because the Capitol and District 10 have a monopoly on real soldiers.

The girl with scruffy brown hair says, "We weren't sure what happened to you."

Lin gestures at the stranger and says, "This is Jin Chen of District 8. She's the daughter of the woman who started the rebellion here."

"Nice to meet you," Korra says.

"Right this way," Jin says, waving her hand for the newcomers to follow her.

They walk into a sewing factory with bombed out windows. As they enter, they walk past charred and bleeding corpses lined at the edges of the entry hall. Korra's stomach churns, while Azula keeps her eyes fixed forward.

"I would not call this place tactically strong," coldly remarks Azula.

"It's the best we could do," Jin says.

"I find that hard to believe," Azula retorts with a roll of her eyes.

Korra glowers at her. She opens her mouth to remark on the fact that Azula is somehow acting crueler than usual, but she sees the room they expect her to walk into; it is filled with people who she knows she cannot help. This is a bad start, a _terrible_ start. She wanted to blow up tanks with her bending. "I'm not a healer. I thought this would be fighting the Capitol not…"

"The most important thing about you is that you give people hope," says Jet, fire in his eyes. "Remember that and walk in there."

Korra shakes her head.

"Fine," Azula snaps. "We can leave then. These people can care for themselves."

"Shut up," growls Korra, and she heads into the room of wounded.

They all stare at her, eyes wide and reverent. Korra has never before felt anything like the energy in this room. It brings tears to her eyes.

"Avatar Korra?" asks a small girl. "Why are you here?"

Korra assuredly states, "I'm here to fight with you; it's what I was born to do."

[X]

While the Avatar talks to the wounded, Azula slinks into the innards of the factory. She wants nothing to do with this District; she wants to _forget_. Azula walks into a huge floor with tables and a rainbow of fabric colors. Most of it remains undamaged by the war outside.

She starts walking through, her mind focused on how she despises her decision to help the revolution. Azula should have just stayed loyal to the Capitol.

When she stops, she realizes she is in front of an abandoned, half-sewn cutout of a skirt. Her heart plummets into her stomach and Azula tenderly touches the pink tulle. The tears blossom in her eyes, her heart palpitates, her mouth tastes of acid and she burns the entire roll of fabric to ashes. That does not sate her and therefore she destroys more of them and more of them and more of them until she crumbles on the ground and grits her teeth to hold back the tears.

Her body shakes with silent sobs. The pain preoccupies her so deeply that she does not hear Korra approaching behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Korra asks.

Azula viciously snarls without looking up, "That is the densest question I have ever heard. Does it look like something is wrong, moron?"

"Yeah." Korra shrugs. "Why do you care so much about District 8, anyway? It's not yourself."

"That was somewhat witty." Pause. Azula takes a deep breath. "She is from here. She was born here in this District. She is the only person other than myself and Asami I will ever love and I couldn't save her. I couldn't save either of them."

"Ty Lee is from District 8?"

"Yes. Her father was a victor and her mother a promising seamstress."

"Hey, Azula," Korra says. "I, uh, it's gonna get better."

Azula hisses, "How do you know?"

"Because people are kinda like bones; they mend, and sometimes get stronger in the broken parts," Korra states, awkwardly resting her hand on her former mentor's shoulder.

Azula refuses to say a word, for her response could only be kind.

[X]

Even using her bending to travel as fast as possible, it takes two days of running through the sprawling countryside before Opal finds a tall fence. She tries to scrape some mud off of her feet and in a quick burst of skilled bending, she launches herself over the fence and lands gracefully on the other side. Atop… ash? She starts cautiously walking, afraid of what she may find. Whatever it is, it has to be better than staying and being tortured in the Capitol.

She starts to see ramshackle houses—mud huts—and she realizes she recognizes District 2 from her Victory Tour. What she does not recognize is the sudden crunch of a burnt skeleton beneath her feet. Clamping her hands over her mouth and blinking back tears of revulsion, she continues her walk through a gradually worsening wasteland.

Only one logical answer exists: the Capitol bombed it. Bombed it to ashes and burned it to the ground with no restraint. Opal sits down beneath a bridge and begins to hysterically sob. She needs to be _strong_ ; she _is_ strong, but this disgusts her on a profound level.

Everything does.

She left Bolin with those people.

She left Asami with those people.

She _left_.


	28. Book 3: End Broadcast

**Chapter Three  
** **End Broadcast**

* * *

 _"_ _Wars can be won or lost in the editing room."  
_ _-Mass Effect 3-_

* * *

 **Between the 74** **th** **and 75** **th** **Harmony Games, The Capitol**

 _"_ _My mom is really annoyed about the textile shortages," says Ty Lee, sitting across from her girlfriend in at cute tea shop. "It just makes my dad nervous, though. It's something about a batch of wildfires in 8, I guess, according to rumors. It's dry there this year."_

 _Azula doubts that, even if she knows little of district weather. She imagines the problem is something more along the lines of strikes and riots. She does not tell Ty Lee, however; there is no need to put her in any more danger. In the United Republic, the most grievous crime is knowing too much._

 _"_ _That must be frustrating," purrs Azula, feigning interest._

 _"_ _Yes. She was making this ultra cute bubblegum pink dress for me and it's half-finished because there's no fabric for it. Oh! And pearls! The storms in the districts have totally ruined the pearls she was going to put on the dress because there's aren't any!"_

 _"_ _Such a shame," Azula dryly says, still thinking deeply about these telltale signs of rebellion._

 _Her father has told her nothing about it. She wonders why she was not informed; that seems like it would be important since she is partially responsible for the spark in the districts and wholly responsible for quelling the fire._

 _She chews on her thumbnail while Ty Lee continues blathering away._

* * *

In the warzone of District 8, Jet asks the Avatar and Phoenix, "We need a shot near where the fires are still building. We've got Korra with the wounded, but we need something passionate to punctuate this whole visit."

Korra turns to Azula; that is her department. The Avatar will do the fighting and the rallying, while the Phoenix will use her pretty words as a siren song to draw the destitute to their noble cause.

They stride over rubble and bones and ashes until they reach the raging fire burning from one of the destroyed textile factors. Azula shivers when she thinks again of her fiancée. Korra shoves something in her pocket and stands by Azula.

"Ready, One, Two…" Jet points. Longshot focuses the lens on the Phoenix.

Azula turns to the camera and fervidly declares, "I will be honest. If we fight, we might lose. But if we don't fight, we have already lost. One year ago, we broke a cycle that seemed permanent; we need to break a regime of violence and terror that is equally fragile, if not more so."

Korra takes a shuddering breath and inhales the horrid, acrid smoke. She knows she must say something now, something to assure the people she truly will save them.

"My name is Korra Raava. I am alive. I am here in District 8 fighting side by side with the people. I am the Avatar. I am the thing that every nightmare fears: proof that morning comes."

End broadcast.

[X]

Meanwhile, in the Capitol, Asami sits in a prison cell with Ty Lee. They took Bolin away, possibly to interrogate about Opal, possibly because that was how the prison room assignments were in the past.

"I hope Korra is okay," Asami whispers, staring at her feet. "As long as she's okay, I'm okay."

"You love her. You love her romantically," says Ty Lee to Asami, smiling warmly at the heartbroken girl. "I can see it and I see it even more every minute. She keeps you fighting and she gave you the strength to fight back like you did. I know we got caught, but we showed them we don't belong to them."

It startles Asami to hear her vapid escort speak such impassioned and eloquent words.

"Maybe," whispers Asami, wringing her hands.

Ty Lee shakes her head and grabs Asami by the wrist, holding her tightly. "It isn't a maybe. Stand by her. If you stand by her, you'll be okay."

Asami takes a deep breath and nods. "It'll all be okay. She's the Avatar."

Suddenly, A guard comes to the door and grabs Asami, shackling her and dragging her through the hallway. They lock her in a room and her heart races as she hypothesizes about her fate.

Asami glares at President Shinohai when he walks through the door. With that dirty look, she bravely meets his eyes. They smolder, serpentine and yellowish gold. But she is not afraid because she cannot afford to be.

She sits shackled to a chair, a tired and half-broken mess. All she can do is think of Korra while she steels her jaw and faces her fate. All he can do is think of how the mighty fall.

"Have you been enjoying your stay?" he mockingly asks, looking her up and down.

"I'm fine. I'm happy here, because I know she's somewhere safe," Asami says, remembering what Ty Lee told her and keeping it tucked safely in her heart.

"She's not going to save you, Miss Sato," says Ozai, and he truly believes it; it is not just to mock her.

Asami wonders why he does not understand. Perhaps because he does not love anyone. "I don't need her to save me. I could stay here forever. You can break my soul, take my life away, beat me, torture me, kill me, but you will _never_ touch her. And that's all that matters."

Ozai shakes his head. "Funny. I thought her love for you was unrequited."

"I love her back. I always did," Asami says, which may or may not be a lie. She wants to believe it, at least, and that is what counts.

Silence.

He says, after that long pause, "Your faith in her is almost impressive."

"I'm not the only one who believes in the Avatar," Asami says, tears blossoming in her emerald eyes. "Countless people do, and their hope will lead them to depose you and string you up."

He thinks of a cold, melancholy tune murmured by the rose lips of a caged songbird. Those thoughts quickly vanish as he returns his attention to his prisoner.

"Maybe you're right," calmly says Ozai, although he knows none are strong enough to overthrow him. "But you're going to give the _true_ story of the Quarter Quell on a special mandatory broadcast."

"I saw nothing more than anyone else," Asami says, uncertain what he means by _true_.

"But they don't know that, do they?" Ozai explains, speaking as if to a child.

Asami summons all of her courage and says, "You can't make me."

"Yes, I can, because you are a decent person and decent people are easy to manipulate. I have your escort and your friends at my fingertips. They will suffer horribly while you watch if you don't kindly comply." Ozai means it. He means every last word and she does too.

Asami knows she has no other choice. She knows Korra has done what cannot be undone.

"Fine," Asami says, loathing herself for uttering that word, "I'll help you. Because I know the Avatar is stronger than anything I can say."

Ozai laughs. She blushes. "Your conviction is so very misled."

"So is your overconfidence," Asami says, her heart now in her throat.

He just smirks, entertained. Asami lets him think he has won, or maybe she just is more afraid than she thought she was.

"I love her, and she loves me. It'll only make her stronger to see me again."

Ozai looks at her with pity in his golden eyes, stunning her. "I think you'll soon discover it is the things we love most that destroy us."

"Maybe what you love most will destroy you." _Power,_ thinks Asami, _His love of power will destroy him._

"Goodnight, Miss Sato."

She remains silent while he leaves.

[X]

Meanwhile, Mai brushes her wet hair in front of the mirror.

 _"_ _Are you, are you coming to the tree / Where a dead man called out for his love to flee / strange things did happen here / no stranger would it be / if we met at midnight…"_ she softly sings to herself as she goes through the motions.

She does not bother using the instant hair dryer; she always liked the feeling of her hair slowly freezing in the conditioned air of the Presidential Palace. Colder than her heart. She brushes her teeth and walks to sit on her bed, in a silk robe, and applies her favorite expensive lotion. Her baby kicks inside of her and she ignores it. That always gave her panic attacks when she was pregnant with Mimi.

A rose candle burns on the bedside table.

She reaches to the surface beside her and picks up her token from the Quarter Quell. Mai runs her thumb over the smooth golden surface before she opens it and listens to the haunting tune that plays. Within the locked, she gazes at the pictures of the only people she loves.

Mai stares at it until the music stops and her hand feels numb. The only thing that brings her back to reality is the electronic bars deactivating and the door opening. She closes the locket and drapes It over her neck.

"You made the right choice," says Ozai.

"I made the only choice," Mai coldly replies. "I never intended to help the rebels. Honestly, the only option that benefits me is still standing by you."

"You always were clever," he says, a fact everyone in the United Republic knows. She outwitted the Games, after all.

Mai hollowly says, "It honestly is all I have going for me."

"You have good aim," he says, studying her closely. She looks sickly, which does not bode well for his child.

"And nothing and no one to shoot." Mai slowly stands up. For a brief, semi-satisfying moment, she sees an arrow going through the chest of her husband, but instead, in this reality, in this world, the greatest weapon she has is pressing her lips against his.

When it feels good, she again notes how confusion like this is such sweet, sorrowful bliss.

He sets his palm against the small of her back and fiercely locks their lips for a second time. The rose candle flares and fades, leaving the moon as the only light.

She steps backwards and sits back down on her bed.

Silence.

"Tell me if my baby is fine," orders Ozai and Mai examines her fingers.

"Yes," she says, and then, for good measure, she adds, "Our baby."

That always was effective with Mimi. Mai thinks it humanizes herself.

They look at each other for a moment like they are almost real lovers, like their kisses could have been real in another universe, like they could have made love instead of whatever you could call what they have done, and laughed in bed together until sunrise, but, that was never a real possibility.

Because she thinks from time to time, they have been in love. Regardless of whether they have had real feelings, they are wrapped together like garland roses.

"I saw what you left for Mimi."

"I figured you would, but I also figured I would be dead in that Arena."

"Your life isn't a pretty story, is it?"

"Did you only just notice that."

"From time to time, I create propaganda beautiful enough to believe it."

He looks at her sitting on the bed, pregnant with his child, not meeting his gaze, and knows like he does when he is honest with himself that she is not his. But sometimes he thinks she is, because she wears a different expression than this one. He created the tempting idea that she secretly wants him and tends to forget that it is just something he invented.

She does not want him; she is not his.

[X]

A Mandatory Capitol Broadcast suddenly comes to life on everyone television in District 10. Korra is practicing firebending with Azula when they look up.

Slowly, Korra sinks to her sweaty knees. Asami, Asami, Asami.

Asami Sato looks superficially beautiful on the screen, but Korra can see the tortured pain in her eyes from a mile away. It makes the Avatar's stomach twist to see her wife so broken. In fact, she seethes with rage. Next to her, Azula's fists are clenched.

The camera then shifts to focus on Varrick.

"Finally, we get the tell all from one of the star-crossed lovers," he drawls, smiling cockily in spite of the dark circumstances. "Asami, how do you feel without Korra by your side."

"Heartbroken," says Asami. "I worry about her every day. The rebels will torture her and force her to do whatever they want. I want her home and away from those monsters."

"Are you saying Korra is being forced against her will to sow discontent."

"Yes," Asami says, feigning eagerness but sounding hollow to those who know her. "And I only ish the people of the United Republic could save my loved ones and hear my plea: please, please lay down your arms."

In District 10, an angry murmur ripples through the crowd. Asami gazes pleadingly at the camera while the people of 10 do not hesitate to declare their loathing for an alleged traitor.

Asami's last words in the broadcast are, "Please come home, Korra."

The screen flickers out, once again black.

A metal plate hits the television screen, shattering it. Korra turns to see Azula standing up and storming away. She is the one who threw the cutlery and broke the dining hall TV.

Korra gets up and follows her former mentor, struggling to keep up with the woman; she travels in an unpredictable pattern.

When Korra at last locates the President's daughter, she sees that Azula sits and tries to hide while she weeps uncontrollably. Slowly, Korra walks to her and sits at her side. She does not need to say a word; she just remains by Azula while she cries.

"They're gonna be okay," Korra attempts, even if she herself is uncertain.

Azula shakes her head. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry if she went away."

Korra whispers, awkwardly attempting tenderness, "Asami or Ty Lee?"

"Both," Azula says, wiping her eyes. The tears keep coming regardless. "I told myself I wouldn't crumble."

Korra halfheartedly teases, "Well, sometimes even you're wrong."

"I guess," breathes Azula, not making eye contact.

"I got something for you from 8," says Korra, reaching into the pocket of her grey outfit and withdrawing a scrap of shimmery pink fabric. "I don't know if it will help or make it worse, but I thought it might be an option."

"Okay," Azula says, which is a better reaction than Korra could have hoped for.

"I hate being in a war. I hate it," Korra whispers.

"It was always in us, just like it was always in the United Republic. As much as I loathe to admit it, Asami was right about us, we're not all that different." Pause. "We both have a fire inside of us and sometimes it keeps us alive but other times it destroys us."

Korra asks, "How do you make words sound so pretty?"

"Natural gift. I come from a long line of manipulative dictators."

Korra laughs. Slowly, Azula begins to laugh.

"Yeah," Korra says, rubbing her hands on her grey pants. The heated friction takes her mind off of the pain for a few fleeting seconds.

"It is kind of like a family business that manufactures oppression."

They both laugh again.

[X]

In her room in District 10, Korra stares into the mirror and picks up the scissors that she is not allowed to have. She thinks for a moment about just stabbing herself in the neck, but she has to stay alive to save the United Republic and do what the Avatar before her could not.

She slices off half of her hair and lets it fall around her. When she is done, she looks at the ever-so-slightly different girl looking back at her. She does not look more like an Avatar, even though she hoped she would.

Korra sits back and lets herself cry, covered in hair and shuddering from sobs.

She closes her eyes to weep more deeply, and when she opens them, she sees someone sitting in front of her. Korra jumps, stunned.

"Who—how did you get in here?"

"I'm your past life," says the ethereal bald boy with the arrow tattoo.

"My—which past life? Don't I have more than one?"

"I'm Aang. I'm the one who let everybody down." His shame is visible even when taking on such a fuzzy form. "Don't be scared, okay? You were born to do this."

"I wish I wasn't," Korra says. "I don't want this! I want to swing on the vines into the swamp on a hot summer day. I want to complain about my homework and tests with my friends. I want to practice probending and get beat up but still be laughing. I want to get a chance to go back in time and ask Asami Sato on a date. A real date. Like a trip to the meadow or having tea, or maybe just walk her home one day. I want to play with Naga in the backyard and I want to fight with my parents then make up. I want a normal life. I don't want this. Anything, _anything_ but this."

"I felt the same way," says Aang. "And I let everybody down because of it. I tried to lead them but it was too late."

Korra tries to straighten up but still remains slumped.

"I'm gonna let them down too. I'm not an Avatar. I'm some waterbending hick from 2."

Someone says behind her, "You are so much more than that."

Katara. Aang is gone and Korra slowly stands up.

"I just—I just was talking to my past life. Did you see him?"

Katara shakes her head. Korra tries not to be disappointed.

"But you're the Avatar," says Katara. "You're special. You're hope. You have a nice new haircut."

Korra touches her clumsily chopped brunette locks.

"How do I save the world? How is anybody supposed to do that?"

Katara joins Korra on the floor, kneeling atop the hard metal.

"Don't think about saving the world. Just think of one thing that makes the world worth existing for you."

Korra does not hesitate to say, "Asami."

"Then fight to save her. Save her and the world can follow."

"I can't save her when she's imprisoned by the Capitol, being tortured because of me."

"Restore balance. Restore her to your life. With all of my heart, I believe you can do it."

Korra forces a smile. She will try; she does not have another choice. Maybe she never wanted any of this, but she is the Avatar. No matter how nightmarish things become, she will _always_ try to restore balance.

If not all of these deaths, all of this suffering, all of it would be in vain. Korra cannot let that happen.

"I guess I can focus on that one part of the world. Got it," Korra says and Katara smiles.

Korra takes a moment to visualize Asami's face. Her perfect complexion, her remarkable emerald eyes, her soft lips, her luscious shimmering dark hair.

Slowly, Korra returns her attention to Katara.

"Did you ever have anybody?" Korra asks her.

She faintly and sadly smiles to herself. "There was this boy. I've always loved him. He's a little bit damaged, a little bit broken, a lot angry, a beautiful disaster… just like me."

"What happened?"

"He was always in love with my best friend." Katara smiles to herself again.

Korra does not ask; it is not her place.

[X]

Later that day, Zuko adjusts his stiff suit for his propo. He loosens his tie and when they tell him to look more formal, he reminds them that that kind of thing is what the Capitol does. They want to be in contrast. They want to show _freedom_ , the only promise they can give the starving masses.

He sits in front of the camera.

"I fought hard in my Games. I didn't have a choice. I was beautiful, apparently. The Capitol loved me and the sponsors spoiled me and the career girls stuck by my side. The moment I escaped, the moment I found out I _survived_ , I became not a victor but a slave. I kept my scar. I begged for them to not remove it, because the beauty the Capitol obsessed over was so torturous.

"But marring my face did nothing. I was forced, under threat of killing my loved ones—the late Kanona Emodi and the imprisoned Mai Shinohai—to have sex with the sponsors who saved my life. And beyond that. It never stopped going further. We called them _seasons_ , and every desirable victor had to endure them. Katara, Kanona, countless innocents forced to degrade themselves.

"If you think the Capitol cares about you, if you think the Capitol does not see you as a tool to be used and put back in a box and starved for no reason, you are wrong. And you will end up suffering at their hands in this war.

"Fight. Fight alongside me while we fight for innocence lost."

End broadcast.

[X]

Ty Lee's propo is not to make an impact on anyone in the United Republic but Azula. Ty Lee sits there and does not smile or giggle or bat her eyelashes. She sobs and Azula clutches the pink fabric Korra gave her tightly in her fist.

It goes on for a thousand years. Azula wants to scream while Ty Lee crumbels on camera.

Ty Lee wipes away her tears but more come, undoing her work.

End broadcast.

Azula wants to burn the pink fabric in her hand, but she cannot bring herself to do it. This useless piece of garbage is the closest she can get to touching the only woman—only person—she ever truly loved. Not until Ty Lee is rescued, if Azula even still believes that will happen.

She holds back tears. She will not cry—she will not shed a single tear—because of the Capitol ever again. It only allows them to own even more of her, to lay claim to her heart and tear ducts.

Even if she has to sneak out and save Ty Lee and Asami herself, she will see them again.

Ozai cannot win.

No one beats Azula Shinohai.

Right? She is a victor. Right?

[X]

That night, Azula sits awake with Korra. They are in their shared room in a forbidden sector of District 10, always alone at this time of night since Hama, like most old people, goes to sleep at an abysmally early hour.

Korra bluntly says, "He's baiting us."

"I realized that." Azula rolls her eyes and Korra's cheeks heat up. "If it is obvious to someone with your low intellect, I assure you if it is obvious to me."

Ignoring the insult, Korra dares ask, "What if we doomed them to death?"

"Do not think that way," hypocritically orders Azula.

"Can't help it," casually replies Korra. "I love her too much."

Azula remains silent on the topic.

"I need to work on my propo for tomorrow." Azula holds up the notebook she has been scrawling ideas inside of.

"It'll be good," remarks Korra. "That's your biggest strength outside of lightning, I guess."

"It is stronger than lightning. I fight my most spectacular battles with my sharp wit and silver tongue."

Korra gives a short, noncommittal nod.

Azula tries not to look at her.

[X]

In the morning, they dress Azula for the most powerful propo. She wears strong clothes, sharp dark eyeliner and bright red lips seeping with a gold layer of gloss that makes them look like the flames of war paint. The propo does not consist of much. It is not as elaborate as Zuko or Katara's or those of the captives in the Capitol.

After adjusting her hair, Azula stares directly at the camera, molten golden eyes smoldering.

She looks at the entire United Republic and says, "When the world is cold, we must all make it our business to set it on fire."

End broadcast.


	29. Book 3: An Illegal Lullaby

**Chapter Four  
** **An Illegal Lullaby**

* * *

 _"_ _Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence."  
_ _-Leonardo da Vinci-_

* * *

 **Between the 68** **th** **and 69** **th** **Harmony Games, The Capitol**

 _Mai stands in a puddle of blood, over a lifeless body. This is not a dream. She wants to wake up from the nightmare. She does not want to be a killer but she is._

 _This cannot be justified._

 _Not like in the Games, not like when she had no choice._

 _All the girl did was try to poison her unborn child. Maybe it would be doing Mai a favor, maybe she should've just poured out the cup and walked away._

 _Yet, instead, she holds a damned letter opener from the president's office in her bloody hand. She is drenched in it from tearing her throat out with a knife. Slashing open the throat of President Shinohai's secretary._

 _Maybe he will kill her._

 _She does not care as much as she thought she would._

 _Mai never had an excellent sense of self-preservation, but here she is willing to kill just because someone tried to kill her baby. Does she love it? Does this mean she loves the child she promised herself she would not love?_

 _All she can do is gaze down at the dead body of her husband's former lover._

 _Former. Because she is dead._

 _Dead. Because Mai is a murderer even outside of the Harmony Games._

 _The door opens._

 _Mai's breath catches._

* * *

With prominent dark circles under her eyes, Azula sits in an early meeting with the leaders of District 10, focused on the next step in their war of propaganda.

Azula sighs, exasperated and lacking in patience.

"We need Mai. I told you to rescue Mai," Azula coldly says to both Beifong sisters. "I said rescue me, rescue the Avatar, rescue Mai. I understand why we would want the other rebel victors, but they were less important. You all screwed up."

Lin scowls and states firmly, "We thought she was dead. Her cannon fired."

Azula knows. They have told her before, but she still struggles with the concept. It seems absurd that such a powerful secret society could make such a crucial mistake.

Coldly, Azula offers an idea she conceived last night while lying awake. "Your spy in the Tribute Center could reach her. We could still use her."

Suyin shakes her head, lips pursed before she at last decides to speak, "I would say that was impossible, since breaking her out of prison to make a propo would be impossible, but she no longer is in the Tribute Center."

Azula demands, "Where is she?"

Suyin replies, "She had her baby."

Azula remarks, "Early."

Suyin retorts, "Not exceptionally early. The baby girl is healthy enough to survive, especially with Capitol technology. She is in the Presidential Palace."

"Which is harder, I imagine." Azula drums her sharp fingernails on the metal conference table.

Lin must admit, "Which is much easier. We already know their own propaganda videos are being shot inside of it, and it will be far easier to break her out of a bedroom than a fortress."

"Good." A wicked smile creeps onto Azula's face. "We show the Districts her, we show the Districts the baby, we let her at last tell them what she really thinks."

"I will set it up for tomorrow night," Suyin says, and Azula's eyes glimmer.

This will be it.

This will be the television special to rival _any_ past Harmony Games.

* * *

In the Capitol, Mai stares at the ceiling of her bedroom with her hands clasped over her lower abdomen. She does not have the desire to do anything but sleep, and sleep does not come easy, even without the lullaby of screaming.

She hears the electricity on her door power down and sits straight up.

Only one person has access to this room, but it is not him who walks inside. It is a man and a woman who look vaguely familiar but she cannot name.

"We're sorry to disturb you, but we need your help, and we have to be quick about it."

Mai dryly states, "I'm not interested in whatever it is."

"We want you to tell the Districts what you really think."

"See," says Mai coldly, locking eyes with the intruder, "I've done that a few times and it's never worked out well for me."

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but, if you want a revolution—"

The passion in Mai's voice surprises the spy. "I _don't_. I don't want a revolution. I _never_ wanted a revolution. All I ever wanted was to forget and move on."

"You of all people should know why we need one."

Mai sits up and stares at her feet, her head spinning.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You want to forget and move on? This is the best way."

"Azula told us to give you this." He sets something cold and metal in Mai's hand.

She opens it and opens the locket. It hums its haunting tune and she cannot help but see the two pictures inside. Mai snaps it shut before the song is over.

"What do you have in mind?"

"The people have seen Korra and Azula and the other victors. They need to see you. We already set up the recording equipment where your interviews were shot. We already hacked the security cameras and bugs so no one will know you were ever out of here."

"Fine." Mai stands up. "I don't look so pretty."

"You don't have to. We want to show the Districts the real person you are, not the person he made you into. Come on."

They walk down the halls. Mai wraps her arms around herself, ice cold from the layer of sweat on her skin. She enters the room and sees two other people waiting for her. One of them holds her newborn daughter.

"Why do you have her?"

"Will you hold her for us?"

Mai thinks for a moment about how Mimi instantly belonged to cameras. But she walks forward and accepts the baby from the woman.

Mai sits in the familiar chair and looks down at her child. Awkwardly tries to cradle her, not sure how to do it anymore. She stares at the cameras and keeps thinking that they are absolutely going to get caught. Ozai would _never_ let her be out of his sight, promises of hacking cameras or not.

It could be a test.

She does not have the desire to find out.

"Tell us what you think. Please, tell us what you really think."

Mai has heard those words. She has never properly answered them, and so she is not certain how to do so. All she wants is to give the easy, rehearsed response to go back to bed. But she can feel the locket on her chest.

She looks in the direction the woman points. "Ten years ago I volunteered for the Harmony Games to…" Mai trails off. This is not her forte. "I volunteered to save my brother. President Shinohai killed him anyway. Three months ago I volunteered for the Harmony Games to… to prove a point. President Shinohai locked me in a cage and had me tortured from the moment that Arena broke until the moment my…" She glances down at her daughter. "My baby was born." The baby wakes and she almost panics. Thankfully, the infant does not cry. But her golden eyes make her speech much easier.

Her voice shaking, she continues, "He told me after I volunteered the second time around that he thought that they reaped me because they knew he would love me. But the Capitol also says it loves the Districts and only wants to protect them. If you believe that, you are painfully mistaken."

She looks at the camera, uncertain what else to say.

Mai looks at her daughter again, knowing now what to say.

"I never wanted children when I grew up in District 9. I saw them starve to death, I saw them suffering all around me, I saw them sent into the Harmony Games to die. Even after I was a victor, I didn't, because it only made it more likely that they would be sent off to die for entertainment. I can't imagine…" Mai glances at the baby again, and continues, "her ever being in the Harmony Games, and I have never been able to fathom what it must be like to raise your kid for the slaughter.

Mai forces herself to continue, "I want to live in a world where you can celebrate your twelfth birthday instead of dread it, and I want to live in a world where no one—Harmony Games or not—is lost to the world before their life has even begun. That's…" Mai hesitates. "That's all."

It works well enough. They film her for a few more moments, watching the interactions with the infant. They are cold, unfeeling, distant and detached. It is nothing a person can work with.

"Can you read to her? No, can you sing to her?"

"Why?"

"It would look good."

Mai thinks about it for a moment before she nods. She has nothing left to lose.

Awkwardly, she tries to adjust her new baby in her arms. They do not match, like pieces of a puzzle that do not quite fit together right.

" _Are you, are you coming to the tree / they strung up a man / they say who murdered three / strange things did happen here / no stranger would it be, if we met at midnight in the hanging tree,"_ Mai sings and it at last provides something properly chilling for the cameras. " _Are you, are you coming to the tree / where a dead man called out for his love to flee…_ "

* * *

Azula was right about Mai.

In District 1, they exchange whispers.

In District 2, the ghosts cannot speak.

In District 3, an avalanche is not accidental.

In District 4, three victors lead the first riot there and lose their lives.

In District 5, there are public executions to try to combat the inevitable.

In District 6, the granaries burn.

In District 7, the mother of a would-be-assassin the First Lady tried to spare weeps.

In District 8, the war zone is silent for hours after the broadcast.

In District 9, upon hearing a song they all knew, sung by a girl they thought they knew, seeing their sister or daughter reflected on the screen, the fire of rebellion blazes brighter than anywhere else. She looks like she belongs to their district without the make-up, withered, chapped lips, tired eyes. Scars of torture were visible.

 _"_ _Do you know what she would do?"_

 _"_ _Do you know what she_ wants _us to do?"_

 _"_ _Do you know why the Capitol would destroy her?"_

Because of the things she said. Because of those four men everyone almost forgot about who tried to destroy the Laogai Dam.

It is one act of defiance that would cause more damage to the Capitol than any strike or riot.

They succeed at what others failed to do.

The neon lights of the Capitol vanish at midnight.

[X]

When the lights go out, Mai sits up in bed.

She walks across her room against all better judgment and opens the now unlocked door. Slowly, she creeps through the halls.

They promised her the Capitol would never see the propo she made, and she thinks they were telling the truth since she is not hanging from a noose at the moment.

Mai walks to the offices of the Presidential Palace and opens the door. She steps inside, hoping there is not a flood of advisors and aids. It is just President Shinohai, setting down the phone as soon as he sees her silhouette.

"Why is the electricity gone?" Mai whispers.

"Why are granaries on fire and avalanches destroying factories?" He stands. She knows. He sees that she knows. "I am told that the power went out for a very obvious reason."

"They blew the dam," Mai says, because it could not be more obvious once pointed out.

Coldly, Ozai replies, "Yes."

"Why do you think they did it?" Mai whispers.

"Because the Avatar and my own daughter are running around stirring up trouble and an uprising has become a war. I assumed you were clever enough to figure that out."

"Maybe being tortured for two months had adverse effects on my _cleverness_."

"No, I think it's much more likely that it made you change your mind about everything you believe in. I saw it. Of course, I saw it."

"Everything I said was true. I meant it all… but I haven't once lied when I said I never wanted a revolution. I knew I was helping rebels fan the flames, of course I did, but I just wanted to…" Pause. "They wanted me to say what I really think."

"Well, they'd better get in line."

"Everything I said in that video was true, but so was what I said my first night in the Arena and those things can both be true but I know they can't coexist."

"What you said to Zuko?"

"Yes. I meant it. I know it doesn't seem like it but I do love you. At least, I dislike you much less than I dislike everyone else, which is as close to love as I think I'll ever get."

"Oh, do you?"

"We promised not to lie to each other, didn't we?" says Mai, her words lackluster but honest.

He begins to consider sparing her. Then he remembers himself and the game changes.

"You seem passionate about that song, with that story. You really care about that hanging tree, don't you? Maybe we should indulge your obsession."

"Go ahead. I became ready to die the moment I decided to volunteer for the Quell. I'm still ready. Maybe I want you to execute me."

"I don't need another martyr."

"No, you don't."

"You will undo this. I will either obliterate 10 or 9 and that will be up to you this morning. Make your choice. Your home or the home of the people who want nothing more than to use you."

"I will. I promise."

But she knows him well. She knows he will destroy them both no matter what she does.

* * *

At breakfast, Azula and Korra sit across from each other in silence. They never have much to talk about; they never before have.

Suddenly, the television begins to blare with the Capitol anthem. Azula looks up. There would be a response to Mai's propo and a strong one; she knows that much. And so it unsurprising that it is not Asami or Ty Lee or Bolin or any of the other weapons of President Shinohai.

It is Mai.

She is dressed beautifully and looks surprisingly healthy, unlike her in the last video. Oh, what a talented make-up artist can do. A crown of white roses rests on her head.

"There have been reports of riots, granaries on fire, an avalanche and a devastating attack on the Laogai Dam. These are senseless acts of defiance and they can only lead to more suffering." Mai takes a breath. "The rebels used me and they will use you. All the Capitol wants is to protect its people from the greed of these extremists. If they will hurt me that way, they will not hesitate to hurt you, and the Capitol has protected us all for seventy-seven years."

Mai closes her eyes. She looks up and locks eyes with the camera.

"The images of District 2 were not false and District 9 and District 10 are next." She adds softly, half-broken, almost locking eyes with a stepdaughter she cannot see, " _Run_."

And the feed, predictably, abruptly cuts out.

Azula turns to Suyin Beifong as Korra sits down on the metal floor.

"I trust that warning. What do we do?"

Suyin, her eyes hardened instead of kindly, says, "It's time for an Air Raid Drill."

Korra interjects, "What about the people in 9? What about _them_?" Then she thinks about the other repercussions. "What about Asami?" she screams at Lin. "You have to save Asami!"

Suyin states, "Asami is too much of a bargaining chip to give up now. The bombings, however, are an immediate threat." She presses a button and the sirens screech. "I'd get to the bunker if I were you."

Korra begins to run and Azula turns. Suyin grabs her arm.

"What?" Azula snaps, no longer hiding her fear.

"You're President Beifong's advisor and you stay with us. Now, hurry up, Korra! These doors are about to seal."

The Avatar obeys, and hastens.

In a wild rush, Korra pretends to be headed to the bunker before she runs to find Zuko and Katara. They are together, thankfully.

"We have to get to 9!" she pleads.

Katara interrupts, "Korra, they've probably bombed it already. There's nothing we can do."

Korra glowers at her. "There is _always_ something we can do."

Biting her lip, Katara nods. Zuko grabs her arm and starts walking towards the hanger bay. As soon as they reach the end of the corridor, they are blocked off by Lin Beifong.

"We're gonna try to save those people," Korra says. "You can't stop us!"

"I don't want to stop you. I want to fly you there," Lin says, punching the password into the door's keypad.

"Thanks!" Korra sheers.

"Don't throw a party yet," says Lin with a scowl. "Come on, soldiers."

Korra deeply inhales and clenches her fawn fists.

[X]

Lin's crew of fighting victors narrowly escape the ire of the Capitol ships beginning to crowd the sky. Lin is a good pilot like that. 9 is not far away. It takes twenty minutes to get past the fence and into the District. It is broken, panicked, and Zuko jumps down before they even finish landing. They know it could be too late, but they will try anyway.

Katara and Korra quickly step onto the ground. No one is nearby, but there are no planes in the sky and no smoldering ruins. It is not time yet.

"Get as many people as you can and bring them back here," orders the Beifong sister, before grabbing onto Korra. "But you can't save them all. We only have so much space on the hovercraft. Just do what you can."

Korra shakes Lin off of her, despising that idea.

As they enter the heart of District 9, a flood of peacekeepers on their way out start fighting.

That must be the delay. Those loyal to the Capitol need a chance to escape.

As they battle, Zuko and Katara have a duality Korra admires. They combine water and fire to kill and disabled every single peacekeeper who tries to stop them. In the Square, the people have gathered. Korra wonders if the same thing happened in 2, if people just said goodbye to their loved ones. No, Korra imagines they were taken by surprise.

Once they reach the Square, Zuko screams over the desperation, "Follow me! Hurry up! I'm taking kids first!"

Katara hastily helps the children clinging to their parents and crying, while Korra feels her heart pounding. There is not enough time to save everybody. Not enough space—there are thousands here—and she knows that Lin was right. The ships black out the sky as she runs with them, holding a baby as she guides the others and helps them along. Korra looks at the crowd and looks up at the ships about to drop their bombs.

The moment her mind turns to the skeletons of those she loved, her eyes begin to glow.

Zuko and the other inhabitants of his District stare as the Avatar rises and bends four elements at once. She creates a shield of ice and stone over the crowds and then powered by her airbending, rises further. The ships look about to release the bombs when her metalbending comes into play.

She crushes two of the ships and they swivel towards the ground. The bombs go off past the fences. Zuko dodges for cover and notices that Korra has tried to save people but has also inadvertently trapped them. He cannot save anybody but himself and it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

Even as Korra fights, the hovercrafts keep coming. Zuko thinks she might have a chance, until three bullets fired from a peacekeeper on a roof in 9 hit her. She falls, spinning and swirling, and hits the ground. She closes her eyes and Zuko curls into himself as only a few bombs fall and crush the cover Korra built.

He would do anything to undo hearing the screams.

Zuko gets up as soon as the hovercrafts leave and picks up Korra. He combs through the rubble for a few moments but cannot manage, so he runs with the bleeding Avatar towards where Katara took the children.

The hovercraft took off. The remaining slums explode behind Zuko and he runs as fast as he can towards the Victor's Village. He weaves behind the buildings with Korra and finds the weak point in the fence he used to crawl through.

Thankfully, the electricity is down, and Zuko slides under it.

He carries Korra in the direction of District 10.

Maybe they can make it by tomorrow if he pushes himself.

[X]

Enduring the surprise attack on 10, prioritized over anything happening in 9, Azula stands in the control room as the walls shake around her. The bombs make her dizzy, but her thoughts are strongly on Ty Lee. On her Ty Lee. And then Mai. Her best friend, her only real friend. Then Asami, the little sister she would die to protect.

She is tired. She is _so_ tired, both from lack of sleep and the kind of exhausted that sleep can never fix. She is a mad, mad girl crying her eyes out with no shame.

Hama approaches Azula and sets one hand on her back.

"Why are you afraid?" softly asks the Puppetmaster.

Azula knows that she should lie, but she decides not to.

"If he's doing this… if he's doing this he's going to kill them. He's going to kill them because of the videos _I_ made. I can't lose them. I can't lose them all." She breaks down and falls into Hama's arms, clinging to her as she sobs hysterically.

"We will save them," says Hama, stroking Azula's hair. "I promise we will save them."

Azula is crying too hard to tell Hama that hope is long lost.

[X]

The next morning, the attack on 10 is confirmed to have ended.

The next morning, Lin Beifong returns to her district, and begins to prepare her best soldiers for an assault on the Capitol. The importance of haste cannot be overstated; she needs to get them into the Tribute Center to rescue the victors before President Shinohai can slaughter them.

Thirty minutes before Lin readies her army for war, Azula has been sitting in a chair in Command with a thousand-yard stare. The door opens and Azula looks up to see Katara and Lin. They are dirty and slightly bloodied.

Suyin asks, riddled with concern, "What happened to you?"

"We lost Korra and Zuko," Katara blurts out, fighting desperately to hold back tears of agony. "We saved the children but we didn't…"

"Explain this to me," says Azula, slowly standing. She lost her Avatar. _They_ lost her Avatar like utter fools and Azula wants nothing more than to kill them all.

"Before the lockdown we went to 9. We just finished settling in the refugees and we looked for Korra and Zuko but…" Katara purses her lips and closes her eyes.

Lin finishes for her. "We waited for them as long as we could, but the bombers were closing in and we needed to leave."

Suyin somberly stands. "The Avatar can't be…"

"Maybe not," whispers Katara. "She and Zuko are strong. They might have even won the fight. She _is_ the Avatar, isn't she?"

Azula does nothing but glare.

There are no words to express her anger.

[X]

In the evening, Azula sits alone in the mess hall. She does not know how to fathom the loss of the Avatar, nor the potential loss of her sister and only true love.

Someone approaches from behind.

"The soldiers have entered Capitol air space," states a familiar voice. Azula jumps when Suyin taps her shoulder. "I need you to go to the surface. You have to make a propo."

Her eyes brimming with angry tears, "First, I need _you_ to finish your assault on the Capitol and save my sister and my fiancée and my stepmother," Azula snarls. "I refuse to make any more little videos until you do it."

Suyin shifts to stand in front of Azula and shakes her head.

"I'm trying to do that. I need you to help me," she says, and Azula does not understand. "The propo isn't a normal one. The Capitol is on generator power after what 9 did, and we can get onto their air waves—and past many of their defenses. Your propo will break their system while we send soldiers in to save the victors and Ty Lee."

Azula is tired. Tired. Tired. Tired.

But she will do anything to save Asami, Mai and Ty Lee.

"I… yes. Yes, fine," Azula says, nodding, her eyes still vacant and lips still parted. "Take me to the surface. Let's get this over with."

Azula walks up with Jet and his two assistants.

She looks around her and thinks she must be hallucinating like she has been lately.

"Are those real?" Azula asks softly.

Jet picks one of the roses up. "Yeah. They're real."

Azula sinks onto her knees.

"No, no, no. I can't… I _won't_ … I can't do this…" Tears drip from her eyes onto the blanket of roses. "He knew we would survive. This was just to taunt us…"

Longshot turns on his camera, while Azula is unaware.

She clings onto the roses and cries.

Jet dares to say, after a moment of that footage, "Azula, what do you want your father to know? Tell him."

Azula looks up and starts to laugh through her tears.

"Oh, and in the end, it's still about good television, isn't it? Me crying here, grieving the pain and deaths of my fiancée and my sister and my best friend is going to be the perfect video. Oh, the public will see how much I'm hurting…"

"Think of them," Jet says. "Think of what the Capitol has done to them."

Azula reads between the lines. He is reminding her that this will aid their rescue.

She looks up and at the camera.

"Father, you…" Azula chokes on her tears. "I used to dream about you and dream about how it would be to be your daughter and to be loved by someone after my mother and stepfather despised me. Now I dream of you every night, and they are not the sweet kind. I have nightmares about you sending peacekeepers to drag away and beat half to death the woman I love. I have nightmares about not being able to save my sister from your wrath. I have nightmares about how ashamed I am for… ever once thinking the Capitol was worth preserving."

Azula gazes at the rose in her hand. She intends for it to signify drama, a small break in her words, but then she crumples it in her fist. The thorns sting her palm.

She knows this will do nothing.

She knows her father does not care about his name being besmirched. They have surpassed a battle of propaganda; they have entered a true, brutal, bloody war.

Azula takes a breath and looks up. "Screw this. Let me speak to my father. Get Katara to do the propo. Tell them about 9 and anything else you can manage. I need to speak to him directly."

Katara rolls her eyes at being ordered around but Azula, but she agrees with her, so she exits the room as fast as she can.

* * *

In the dark Capitol night, "I don't _want_ to go!" Mai screams, fighting against the rebels who filmed her three days ago. "I want to stay! Stop it!"

They have her by the arms and she does not have the strength to resist.

One of the men insists, "We have to get you out of here before the rebels leave."

"Leave? Who's here?" Mai hisses, unaware of the battle raging not far away.

The sole woman explains in a frantic tone, "A rescue party went to the Tribute Center. We offered to get you there."

"I don't want to go there, and you will not take me." Mai takes her opportunity to break free.

Mai runs from them, because she know they will not take no for an answer. They will call her damaged and force her. She runs to the office of the Presidential Palace and throws open the door.

Ozai mockingly asks, looking up from his focus on the rebels he knows have entered the Tribute Center. "Have you come to kill me?"

"No." Mai sinks to the floor, exhausted from that short run. "I…"

She curls up and Ozai waves his hand to stop the peacekeepers from dragging her away. He returns the image to the room. Mai sees Korra describing the rescue of District 9.

Mai has never felt such relief. She did not kill her District.

Ozai twists through the airwaves, knowing Zaofu would love to taunt him over breaking through the Capitol defenses to show one of their little short films.

 _"_ _Father,"_ says a shaking voice over the radio, " _Father, can you hear me?_ "

Mai bites her lower lip.

Ozai freezes in place.


End file.
